Zootopian Vice
by Lothar Hex
Summary: Judy and Nick are detectives, but their first case isn't something glamorous, it's the simple death of a prostitute. That's how it starts anyway, as the investigation turns out to be anything but "simple." Sequel to A Reynard's Remorse
1. Gutters and Sewers

The she-wolf stumbled as she was practically tossed from the limousine, though the apology from her client mollified her somewhat. The guy probably wasn't quite used to mammals smaller than him, so it could have been an honest mistake. Still it didn't help her to clean the streak of muddy rainwater from her favourite red 'working' dress. She turned to complain to the him when a hoof extended holding a large block shaped baggy of white powder. Her anger faded, replaced with elation. This was more powder than she'd had in the last year! She grabbed it, rammed it in to her handbag and poked her head back into the limousine, kissing her client on his snout.

"Same time next week babe?" the unseen mammal asked.

"Definitely Stud, see you then," she replied. She watched as the limo pulled away, obviously a rental, but hey, it was his money to waste. And considering the size of the bag of powder he'd given her, he had plenty of cash to spare. She resisted the urge to look at it until she made her way to her run-down apartment. She looked down at her skirt, sighing again at the stain. That was the problem when you lived on the border to the rainforest district, the water had to leak out somewhere, and it ended up mixing with the detritus of the street. It usually wasn't this bad, but still.

As she started up the stairs a cry of "Hey Bighana!" came from behind, startling her, she turned and relaxed seeing it was only Vincent, her building's superintendent. The warthog waddled over, a package in hand.

"God Vince, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry B," he said shuffling his feet. Bighana sighed. She liked Vince, he was sweet, kind, and one of the few males she knew who didn't just want sex from her. But she knew he had a crush on her, which wasn't mutual. It always made talking to him slightly awkward. Plus, despite her profession she wasn't romantically interested in non-wolves.

"It's OK," she said as the Vince's silence began to skew towards the awkward. "Did you want something?"

"Oh uh, yeah!" Vince said remembering the package in his hands. "You got a package!" He handed it to her. Bighana looked it over, noting that there were no stamps or other indication of it being put through the mail system, not even a sticker from a courier. "Who delivered it?" she asked.

"Well it was another wolf actually," Vince said, raising an eyebrow. "She waited in the lobby for about an hour before asking me to give it to you. Said she'd be late for work otherwise."

"Anything odd about her?"

"Not really…except she looked a lot like you."

"Ugh, great," Bighana growled. It was obviously from her sister. She never could just leave her alone.

"You in trouble B?"

"Probably, but nothing I can't handle. You know how family is," before realising what she said. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Vince.

"Don't worry B," he said in a matter of fact voice. "I ain't going to pry. But I will say if you ever need to talk, and I _mean_ talk, well you know where I am OK?"

"Yeah…yeah. Thanks Vince," Bighana replied, relieved. He really was sweet, and come to think of it, kinda cute in a piggy way. Maybe she'd have to reconsider her "wolves only" romance policy. "Listen I just got off work so I'm gonna hit the hay."

"Yeah, no problem B, I gotta go work on the boiler anyway. You take care OK?" he said before waddling away. Bighana smiled, he did have a cute butt for a warthog. She made her way up a couple of flights of stairs and entered her apartment, flipping on the lights. While the building exterior was run down, her own place was decently kept. A few errant dishes on her coffee table in front of her abused but still comfortable sofa, but otherwise quite clean. Not what you'd expect from someone addicted to pounce.

She placed her handbag on the table and moved the dishes to the sink, letting them soak to clean properly later. A few minutes of rummaging and she returned to the table placing a plastic cereal container next to her handbag. She then went to her bedroom, stripped off her dress and shoved it and her underwear in to the laundry hamper. She then rifled through her closet for a comfortable t-shirt left behind by one of her old boyfriends. She found it, a geeky number showing some cartoon robot or something. What was its name? Hoptimus Prime?

She thought about showering, but would only have to do so in the morning anyway, so decided to indulge her vice. After changing and making a few notes in her journal, she exited her bedroom and hopped over the couch, turning on her TV while she searched for a knife or scissors. The TV came on to ZNN, the 24-hour new service.

"…and there they go, Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde have just entered the sewer in the hopes of rescuing lost tiger cub Tyler Macan who got swept away in a freak bottled water accident."

"Not officers any more I hear Peter," the leopardess news anchor commented.

"Indeed Fabienne, we've recently learned that starting Monday, the two smallest mammals on the ZPD force will be joining the ranks of the ZPD's Criminal Investigation Department, making them the first of their species to make the rank of detective in the city's history. And yet there they are on a Saturday, their day off even, helping a trapped child."

"I'm sure the citizens of the city will be sleeping easier knowing they're on the case with the ZCID…"

"Tch" Bighana huffed, changing the channel to ZTV, which was in the middle of an episode of Hell's Kitchen starring Gordon Ramsey. _Having a bunny cop was bad enough without having a stinking fox fooling everyone in to thinking he was honest. Oh well, not my problem anymore._ As the chef on the TV launched in to an explicit ridden tirade against a porcupine who had dropped a quill into the risotto, she removed the large block of powder from her bag, the sheer size of it made her almost yip with glee, but she controlled herself. If she wasn't careful she would waste this by spilling it on the floor. If she _was_ careful she could have this stuff on hand for weeks! Meaning she could afford a few more choice dresses and luxuries than she could normally afford. She used an old pair of scissors to slice the corner of the bag, then picked it up and, with a bit of shoving, managed to get it to just fit inside the cereal container. She then took a nearby spoon and scooped a measured amount of powder out of the bag before closing the container. On a mat, she had for this specific purpose, she placed the pounce in front of her. As she was readying a playing card to divide her Saturday evening entertainment, she noticed something odd.

Some of the pounce glittered.

She extended a finger a dipped it in to the drug and brought it up to her eyes. She couldn't quite see what it was that caused the glitter, but it looked purple. It didn't feel any different to the rest of the fine powder. It wasn't the first time she'd sampled a product that had some unique aspect to it, ever since _Breaking Baaad_ loads of mammals were adding colour to their wares to try and make it unique. The irony was not lost on Bighana.

She shrugged, and finished arranging the pounce in to lines, ready for a nice weekend alone indulging in her favourite hobby.

She was found dead in an alley two days later.

* * *

"Carrots, why do we get all the _crap_ jobs?"

"Har har Nick," Judy said as she crawled through the sewer pipe. While she had plenty of room on all fours, Nick had to be careful not to slam his head on the ceiling.

"Hey I thought that was a good joke. Obviously, it was _wasted_ on you."

"Is he always like this?" the rat in orange overalls and yellow hard hat leading Judy asked as he walked on a small raised section of the pipe, completely out of the water.

"No, he's usually worse," Judy replied, shaking her head.

"Oh _poo poo_ to you!" Nick replied from behind. "Seriously though, why the hell did they have to interrupt our dinner date? This is ruining my pants and shirt!"

"Considering your taste in Hawaiian shirts I think it could only be improved," Judy chided and tried to ignore Nick who was being more aggravating than usual. True, she was also upset at their romantic dinner being interrupted, but when they got the call to help rescue the cub they couldn't do anything but rush to help. "Besides, you know why. We're the only mammals' small enough to fit through these pipes while being big enough to help the poor kid. And the sewer workers don't have overalls our size." Judy was also annoyed about that, but it couldn't be helped. At least the jeans and shirt she was wearing would be easily replaced or washed. The couple weren't ones to go all suits and gowns for a dinner date.

"I know but I had plans for tonight. I'm just glad Bogo is holding on to our stuff, I'd hate to think what this would do to the…JESUS!" Nick cried and Judy heard a frantic splashing of water from behind her.

"Nick, you OK!? What happened?" Judy asked, being unable to turn quickly in the pipe.

"I'm fine Fluff. It's just _something_ brown touched my arm and I'm pretty sure it wasn't a candy bar."

"Definitely not," the rat snickered as he urged the paid to continue forward. "Don't worry, you get used to it."

"No offence but I'm hoping not too…sorry I forgot to ask your name earlier," Judy said in reply.

"It's Django, Django Linguini. Don't worry about forgetting your manners Officer. It's been a busy day and manners don't count for nothin' down here!"

"Linguini," Nick mused from behind Judy. "Hey, any relation to Remy Linguini?"

"Yeah he's my son!" the rat replied. "And he'll be happy you remembered him Office Wilde. I'd shake your hand to thank you for saving his life, but well, you know," Django stopped, gesturing to the sewer water. Judy tensed, wondering if Nick was going to be OK at the casual mention of a hostage incident from almost a year ago where one of Nick's old friends killed himself right in front of him. Then again, Nick was the one that brought it up…

"Yeah let's wait for after the third of fourth shower," Nick chuckled. Judy relaxed, Nick had come a long way in the time since that incident, but it did occasionally cause him to go in to depressive moods.

"So, Django," Judy started focusing on the task at hand. "How far have we got to go?"

"It's only another hundred metres or so, and where the drop is there should be enough room for you and Officer Wilde to stand." Judy was glad of that, while there was plenty of room for her and just enough room for Nick to crawl around, she didn't want to have her hands covered in urine, faeces and God only knows what else for longer than she had to. She was disheartened to learn that like here in Downtown, most of Zootopia's sewer system was a mass of small sanitary sewers barely more than three feet across, unlike the almost cathedral like structures you saw on TV. This is why most of the city's sewer workers were rats or similar sized rodents, with only the massive storm drains directly under the Rainforest District and Tundratown being big enough for the larger mammals, due to the huge amount of rainwater and snowmelt run-off they had to deal with.

"Hey, we can take as long as we like, the _rear_ view back here is fine!" Nick said. Judy suddenly became very conscious of just how close Nick was behind her and what his view was mostly taken up with. Suddenly she felt a sharp pinch on her hindquarters. Reacting on instinct, Judy's left leg kicked out and smacked Nick right on his nose, causing the fox to yip in pain.

"Nick not on duty!" she shouted back. Bogo had been very explicit that they were to keep their relationship as professional as possible while on duty and too many infractions on this would lead to the pair being split up. He had been especially vocal on this since they were due to start their new job in two days' time.

"Hey, we're already in the _shit_ as it is Fluff, I might as well get what little enjoyment I can. Also, technically we're not on duty, we're on _doody_."

"I can see what you mean about him being worse," Django chimed in, smirking up at Judy as the she tried to glare over her shoulder. "Anyway, here's the drop," he said as they finally reach the end of a pipe, and a small incline meant that Judy and Nick began to slowly rise out of the of the water "Careful, there's a walkway and guardrail big enough for ten rodents to walk side by side, but you'd best keep you backs as close to the wall as possible."

Judy exited into the mentioned drop off, and found she did have just enough room to firmly plant her feet and shuffle out of Nick's way as he exited the pipe. They found themselves in what was essentially was a large cylinder where various pipes converged, though thankfully the city had shut off the ones leading to this particular convergence site, otherwise they'd be rescuing a child while liquid waste poured all around them. Dozens of rodent workers were looking over the lip of the drop, so Judy followed suit. About ten metres down, a small tiger cub lay crying silently on a large grate that spanned the hole, apparently as some kind of filter as the various bit of detritus around him attested to. The workers above were trying to console him, but the ropes and equipment they used to move around the sewers would in no way be able to get to him or hold the cub's weight, hence why the ZPD were called.

"Poor kid," Nick whispered to Judy and then spoke up. "Tyler? Tyler Macan?" he called down to the cub, who looked up, his fur darkened under his eyes due to tears. "Hi Tyler! I'm Nick, this is Judy, we're police officers! "

The cub stopped crying and looked up. "Are you going to help me?" he asked in a voice full of sadness and pain.

"Sure are bud, isn't that right Judy?" Nick said.

"Yeah, that's what we do in the ZPD. Are you OK Tyler?"

"My leg hurts…" which caused the cops to look down, by the looks of it the kid had cut his leg open, not a good thing in this environment. There wasn't a lot of blood, but still infection would be easy to come by here.

"OK bud, we'll be down there in just a sec OK?"

"OK sir."

"Call me Nick."

"OK Nick."

"That's great slugger." Nick fished before turning to Judy "OK Fluff, how we doing this?"

"I'll go down alone. I can easily jump down there, and it looks like it'll hold my weight, but I'm not sure if it'll hold yours as well. You got the rope, harnesses, and first aid kit?"

"Right here Carrots," Nick said, removing the backpack he had lugged along the pipe He withdrew a length of rope, two harnesses, and a small first aid kit. "I don't want you jumping down there though, I'll lower you down on the rope, you make sure the kid's alright and I'll haul you both up. I should be able to do that if I head back to the pipe to give me a little space to back up, even if I have to kneel down again. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"OK here we go," Nick answered then turned towards the hole and looked down. "OK Tyler, I'm going to lower Judy down towards you and we'll have you up here in no time OK?"

"Thank you, Nick. Thank you Judy," the cub mewled.

"Such a gentle-mammal, you'll be fighting girls off with a stick in no time!"

"Eww girls are gross!"

"Well in fairness you're the one stuck in a sewer Tyler," Nick chuckled. The exchange had managed to cheer the kid up and distract him from his pain for a few seconds. "You ready Carrots?" Nick asked as Judy finished strapping herself into the harness, after which she grabbed the first aid kit and spare harness and used an extra clip to attach it to her, leaving her hands free. "Ready and willing Nick," she answered as she made sure the rope was securely attached.

"OK gimme a second to give you some room," Nick said as he took up the rope and made his way to the pipe to back in to it. "Django, I won't be able to see over the edge from back there, can you keep an eye on Judy and Tyler for me?"

"Sure think Nick," Django said, throwing up a mock salute.

"OK then," Nick said and positioned himself in front of the pipe. "Once more into the breach," he sighed and got down on all fours and backed into the pipe. After a few seconds, his voice echoed from within. "OK, should be plenty, you get on the lip and I'll take up the slack." Judy did so and faced towards the pipe, her back to the drop. "You tell me when you're ready Fluff, you're in the driver's seat for this."

"OK, take up the slack Slick," Judy chimed and when Nick pulled the rope taut, she slowly backed her way towards the hole, and over the lip. After a quick sensation of weightlessness, Judy had her feet planted on the wall as Django directed Nick forward, guiding the doe downwards until after a couple of minutes, she placed her feet on the grate. It held her easily so she unclipped the rope and made her way to the tiger cub.

"Hey Tyler, how you doing?" she asked as she knelt by the child who was only slightly smaller than she was.

"My leg hurts," the cub sniffed.

"Yeah, let's have a look," she said as she opened the first aid kit. After making sure none of the materials were damaged by the sewer water, she looked over Tyler's right leg. It did indeed have a big cut going from his knee to his foot, but it didn't look deep.

"Let's get that cleaned up first and then get you out of here, OK?" Judy said as she prepared the swabs and disinfectant from the kit. "OK Tyler, this is going to sting, but it'll help keep your cut clean and help it heal, so I need you to be brave." The cub nodded drying his eyes, Judy washed the wound with a bottle of water, then sprayed disinfectant over the whole thing before bandaging it up. After looking at her work for a minute she also took a sheet of plastic wrap from the kit and wrapped his leg in that too, hoping it would keep it from getting any more sewage in it when they tried to move him.

"OK Tyler I need you to put this on and then Nick is going to pull us back up OK? Your parents are waiting for you up there."

"Are they mad?" the tiger asked.

"No sweetie they're not mad, they're just really scared and want you back. So, let's get you to them shall we?" Tyler nodded so Judy put him in the harness. She then made sure that hers was still secure, clipped Tyler's to her, and then clipped them both to the rope. "Can you be a brave for a little longer?" she asked. Tyler nodded. "Good boy, just hold on to me as tight as you can OK? Alright Nick bring us up!" Slowly, the rope went taut and Judy started to walk up the wall, reminiscent of the old _BatRat_ TV show. Tyler whimpered slightly but did his best to hang on tight. After a few stops and starts as Nick had to readjust his grip a couple of times, eventually they made it to the top. The sewer workers cheered as Tyler sat down on the catwalk.

"Great job Tyler!" Nick said returning from the pipe.

"Judy did all the work."

"And humble too! You're going to be really popular when you're older, trust me," Nick said, winking at Judy, who giggled.

"Thanks for the help Django, you gonna head back up to the surface with us?" Judy asked the rat as he started getting back to work.

"Nah I'm good thanks, was never one who wanted to be in front of cameras. Can you two find your way back?"

"I think so, a straight line and the second left?" Judy asked.

"You got it, pity your radios don't work down here or I'd send them a message."

"We'll be out soon enough," Judy said. "Thanks for the help."

"And say hi to Remy for me," Nick added.

"No worries, you take care you two," Django said and started getting his workers in order.

"Hmm," Nick said looking down at Tyler who was looking much happier now. "I don't think we should risk putting him in the water with that leg, despite the plastic," he said as he reached down and picked the cub up in his arms. "Say champ, ever ridden a fox before?"

"No…" the cub replied meekly.

"Well you're about to," he said turning to Judy. "If I get down low enough and crawl on my elbows he should be able to ride on my back and be out of the water." Judy nodded knowingly. Despite his protestations over his clothes Nick had no trouble doing the dirty work when needed, especially when a kid was involved. The fox turned back to Tyler. "Just be sure to keep your hurt leg on my back OK?"

"Sure, but will you be OK? I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, don't worry Tyler, Nick loves being ridden!" Judy said…and then her ears turned a dark shade of red as she slapped her hand over her mouth and groaned loudly at the realisation of what she said.

"Nick, why's Judy doing that?"

"I'll tell you when you're older kid," Nick said, a huge smile spread across his muzzle.

"We're coming up!" Judy yelled up the mammal-hole in the street where she and Nick had entered. She clambered up first, finally able to breathe without almost gagging in the cool night air. Dozens of mammals and cameras focused on her as she turned and held out a paw, which Nick grabbed gratefully.

"Hey, anybody lost this?" he said as he held Tyler in one arm. The crowd cheered ecstatically as the cub's parents ran over to their son, tears in their eyes. Despite the smell and obvious sanitary hazards, they couldn't help but smother Tyler in kisses.

"Thank you so much Officers" the cub's mother said crying as she held Tyler close. Judy felt that it would take a crowbar to separate them for the next few days.

"No need to thanks us ma'am, just doing our job," Judy replied and gave a salute which Nick followed promptly. Tyler's father remained silent before padding over to the fox and bunny. He picked them up in an arm each and hugged them so hard, Judy swore her eyes bulged out.

"You come to my restaurant and you eat free of charge for life!" the father said as the tears ran down his face too.

"No…please…too kind…" Nick tried to say as his lungs were crushed. Eventually the tiger let go and was ushered back to his family, and then in to an ambulance as Tyler was driven off to hospital to check his injuries. The cub waved to Nick and Judy as he was carried away in his parents' arms. They waved back, satisfied with a job well done.

"Officer Hopps, Officer Wilde! Woodrow Buckle! ZNN!" a particularly loud beaver shouted as he hustled over to them. "How does it feel to be heroes again!?" he asked as a camera and microphone was shoved in their faces.

"It stinks!" Nick joked as he tried to wring sewer water out of his shirt. The momentary confusion in the beaver was replaced by laughter from the crowd as they caught up.

"In all seriousness, we're not heroes," Judy replied raising an eyebrow at her partner, who shrugged in return. "We're just two mammals doing our job."

"Just two mammals nothing!" Woodrow exclaimed, his excitement getting the better of his journalistic integrity. "Ahem! What I mean to say is, not only are you the first cops of your species, you're also now due to be the first detectives. You also let your weekend get interrupted to help a single child. I wonder if you know how special you truly are?"

"I doubt myself, but I certainly know how special Judy is," Nick said before the doe could reply. The tone in his voice was odd, along with the fact that he said her first name caused a small bit of concern in Judy. Nick only ever used her proper name when something serious was happening. She turned to him and looked up, her eyes locked with his. His stare intense and loving, as if they were making love at that point.

Nick sighed, "I wanted to do this at the restaurant, but screw it. Now or never." Nick looked over Judy's head towards the police congregation. "Hey Chief Bogo! Can Hopps and I go off duty now?" Judy turned and saw her boss with his arms folded and an odd smirk on his face. Instead of answering verbally, the buffalo just nodded. He then held up a box that was dwarfed in his hands and lightly tossed it to Nick who caught it deftly. Judy couldn't even begin to guess what was going on, but it was starting to worry her.

"Judy," Nick started, his voice wracked with nerves. He cleared his throat and started again. "Judy, I don't know how you managed it, but you have brought so much happiness in to my life, happiness that I never thought I would ever have. I had the joy stomped out at an early age, when I let prejudice and fear decide my fate. But you showed me a better way, a beautiful way, almost as beautiful as you. You're amazing Judy, in every sense of the word. You showed me that no matter what happens in life, we always have a choice to do something better."

He got down on one knee.

"Nick…" Judy said, finally starting to understand.

"I kneel here before you covered in…well covered in stuff that I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to actually describe on television," he chuckled, gesturing to the camera. The crowd that had remained silent also laughed at the joke. "Yet despite that I have never been happier in my life, and I want to keep that happiness at all times. I don't know if you know this, but us foxes? We mate for life…and I want that life to be yours."

He opened the box, a tiny gold ring, with a single amethyst stone shining in the flash of the cameras was presented to her.

"Judith Laverne Hopps, will you marry me?"

Silence rang out around them, every single mammal holding their breath. Judy was speechless, she couldn't process it, when suddenly a wealth of emotions struck her, love, happiness, hope…and yes, a small touch of fear. She swallowed, wanting her voice to be as clear as possible.

"Yes."

Whatever Nick had planned to say to her, it was drowned out by the sheer volume of cheers of the Zootopia citizenry around them. Applause soon followed as Nick placed the ring on her finger. And then Judy launched herself at Nick, tackling him to the ground and drawing him into a deep kiss. She didn't care that he smelled like the backside of a sweaty elephant that had been marinated in lynx urine, she just felt an urgent need to bring him close. As the kiss ended, their ZPD brethren charged over and lifted them up, cheering the couple on. Questions started coming from the press, but they were drowned out by everything else. Judy just couldn't take her eyes off Nick and was astonished that he even had to ask if she could see to spending the rest of her life with him.

There was no choice to make.


	2. Open Cases

The weekend went far too quickly for Judy's liking. After they'd been released from hospital after being checked for any sort of illness related to the time they'd spent in the sewer, the couple had pretty much spent the rest of the weekend in bed, fielding the occasional calls from friends, family, and annoyingly nosy journalists. Judy's family in particular had spent over two hours on the phone as her parents passed it around the hundreds of siblings still living at the Hopps burrow. By the end, mental exhaustion finally kicked in and they slept ready for their first day as detectives.

Her alarm blaring at 5:30 am, Judy shot out of bed and started getting ready. She showered and started dressing, slipping on her one-piece under-suit before attaching her tac vest, knee guards and other uniform accoutrements. She then rushed to wake up Nick, who instead of rolling out of bed after the tenth poke, as per usual, grabbed her wrist.

"Judy, we don't start till eight today, remember?"

"What?" she answered before the reality sank in, she'd totally forgotten that the ZCID'S day shift muster was an hour later than the morning beat officer's shift. She'd just been so excited, but then she felt a little guilty for robbing Nick of an extra hour's sleep. Even now almost two years on the force, Nick struggled to wake up early. He always managed it, especially after that one time they'd been fifteen minutes late and Bogo stuck the pair on parking duty for two weeks. Still, he would always try his best to sneak in some extra sleep if he could help it, especially on their days off. Though to be fair if they had somewhere to be, Nick was always bright eyed and bushy-tailed in public, and never skipped on their morning jogs.

"Oh. Right," Judy said. With an extra hour to kill she had no idea what to do. Almost immediately, her foot started tapping, causing Nick to let out a laugh as he rolled over to face her.

"Ok Fluff, I'll get up and we can go grab breakfast out somewhere, my treat. How's that?" When Judy nodded, he leant to kiss her, and then noticed what she was wearing. "Still in beat cop mode I see?" he said, pointing down. Another realisation hit Judy, as a detective she wasn't really supposed to wear her uniform any more. It wasn't an official rule, but dressing more casually made it easier for detectives to do their jobs, such as performing surveillance and mixing with crowds. She turned and looked to the bedroom mirror, seeing herself in full uniform. She felt a pang of sadness. She had worked for years for the honour of wearing this, and when she had gotten it, as custom made gift from Mayor Leodore Lionheart, she had cried with joy. Now it would most likely not see any use apart from a reminder of her previous role. Without warning, Nick stood behind her, wrapped her in his arms from behind, and kissed her on the head.

"It's OK Judy," he said, understanding her conflicted feelings. Nick also loved his uniform, seeing it as a symbol of how far he'd come from the con artist he once was. They just stood in silence, until Judy sniffed and wiped a single tear from her eye.

"Well at least we'll be comfortable from now on," Judy sighed. Her own uniform fit her perfectly but sometimes the straps and pads chaffed.

"True, plus it doesn't mean we won't ever see them again," Nick said, raising an eyebrow. "I for one will be more than happy for you to wear that so I can rip it off you again." The sentiment made Judy giggle. "I can say the same for you," she responded, thinking about Nick in his uniform. He really did fill it out well.

"C'mon horny bunny," Nick replied, receiving a shot in the arm from Judy. As he rubbed it, he made his way to their shared closet and withdrew one of his favourite green Hawaiian shirts, one of his smarter sets of trousers, underwear, and a towel. After he set those aside, he rummaged further, and withdrew a large bundle of cloth. "Oh God, really Nick?" Judy laughed as she realised what it was.

A trench coat. Nick had actually bought a full-length beige 'detective' trench coat.

"Let me have my dreams Fluff," he replied smirking. "I'll shower while you pick out an outfit," he said as he went to their bathroom. It took Judy a while to change out of her clothes, though she decided to keep her foot braces on as they always helped when she was on her feet all day. However, she was still standing in nought but her underwear staring at the closet when Nick returned, fully cleaned and dressed, his new trench coat draped over his shoulder. His sigh caused her to round on him.

"Yes I know!" Judy said, her voice rising. "For the last two years I've never had to think about what to wear to work and now…" she trailed off staring back at the closet.

"Just wear whatever you feel comfortable in."

"I feel comfortable in my uniform…" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Hmm," Nick hummed, joking her in staring at the closet. "Here we go," he said reaching in and grabbing a pair of blue jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and faded red leather jacket that ended at Judy's waist. "Try these."

Judy dressed and looked herself up and down in the mirror. "Huh" she said approvingly. The ensemble was comfortable and better, made her look serious. "Thanks Nick," she said giving him a quick hug.

"No problem Judy," Nick replied returning the gesture. "Ready for our first day as detectives?"

"You bet partner."

* * *

The conversation about Judy's outfit had taken a little bit more of their time than expected, but they still had enough to grab a quick breakfast at Snarlbucks before making their way to Precinct One. As they entered, they found the foyer was full of their colleagues standing around chatting. Usually the station was bustling but it seemed far more full than usual (though any room that contained Bob Trumpet and Francine was full by default). Waving greetings to their friends, they headed for the stairs and to the ZCID offices on the second floor.

"HOPPS! WILDE!" the dulcet tones of Chief Bogo echoed through the foyer, causing the pair to freeze and Nick to drop his coat. Judy wondered why after over two years on the force she still never managed to get used to his yells. The partners looked up to see Bogo looking down on them from the landing above with his customary glare. Suddenly he flicked a wrist and a banner that Judy hadn't noticed started to unfurl beneath him.

"CONGRATULATIONS WILDEHOPPS" it announced, with a picture of Nick putting the engagement ring on Judy's finger. The foyer was then filled with applause from the officers around them that seemed to be in direct correlation to the embarrassment Judy felt. She looked over to Nick who was obviously feeling the same, as the redness in his ears attested to, but doing a far better job of keeping it hidden

"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!" Bogo ordered, causing the applause to stop abruptly…save for that coming from the front desk. "I SAID SHUT IT CLAWHAUSER!" Bogo yelled. The cheetah forced his hands to his sides in embarrassment. "Back to work the lot of you! Clawhauser, the banner can stay until the end of the day, got that?" The cheetah nodded in response as the rest of the police mammals started their daily duties. "Detectives," Bogo said and motioned for Nick and Judy to join him up the stairs. Judy beamed at the first use of her new title, though it felt weird not being called 'officer.'

As the pair met Bogo at the top of the stairs and followed, the Chief spoke up. "Despite my own personal feelings, I must remind you two that if you allow your personal relationship to interfere with your police work, you will be assigned new partners."

"We understand sir," Judy replied. For the most part Nick and Judy had managed to keep things professional at work. Though they had found a certain part of the back stairwell that was not covered by the stations cameras that was good for when they needed a quick kiss or cuddle. Still she was determined to keep Nick with her as much as possible. So if that meant bottling up their amorous feelings until the end of the day, well their sofa would just have to get used to being scratched to all hell.

"Wilde?" Bogo said, looking down at Nick, who nodded in affirmation. "Good." Now let's get you introduced to the rest of the department."

"Sir we know most of the detectives already," Judy advised, she and Nick had either called in the detectives on occasion or provided backup when required.

"True, but not formally," Bogo reminded her. "It's mainly just a formality Hopps, but it also helps me to see how Captain Sam Vines is doing."

"Sir?"

"He's almost 50 and just had a kid. I just want to make sure he hasn't died of stress yet," he said deadpan, making Judy unsure if he was being serious or not. "Remember, thought you all report to myself, Vines is your immediate superior within the department, so please treat him with respect." With that Bogo approached and opened the door just in time to hear the end of a tirade that put put his own to shame.

"...AND IF YOU DON'T GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW AND CHASE UP THOSE LEADS I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL HAVE YOU BOTH KICKED DOWN TO WALKING THE BEAT ON NIGHTS IN TUNDRATOWN SO FAST YOU'LL MELT THE SNOW WHEN YOU LAND!

Immediately following this, Bogo moved out of the way as two mammals came barrelling out of the office and fell over each other. Of course, due to the laws of comedy, the smallest mammal, a donkey, was flattened by the largest pig Judy had ever seen.

"Well I suppose this present an opportunity to introduce you to some of your colleagues," Bogo said nonplussed. "Hopps, Wilde, this is Detective Sergeant Fred Porklon and Detective Dobbin "Dobby" Nobbs."

"Sir," the flattened Nobbs squeaked as he saluted. Unfortunately, due to still being under his porcine partner, this caused him to punch Fred Porklon in his ample gut. Eventually, the hog managed to roll off Dobby and saluted as well.

"Detectives, meet your new colleagues, Detectives Wilde and Hopps." Bogo said gesturing to the smaller mammals.

"Oh, uhm sorry sir, Captain in a bit of a tizz," Porklon said, extending a trotter to Judy. They shook and Porklon withdrew, not officering it to Nick. Before Judy had a chance to harangue him, Dobby shout out both his hooves and shook Nick and Judy's hands at the same time. "'Ere good to meet you guys, can I borrow $5?" the donkey asked.

Before anybody could answer, a dishevelled wolf in a cheap suit stomped out of the ZCID offices and started shouting. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT OF HERE!" he blasted, causing the pig and donkey to run as if they were being hunted by the predator…which they probably would have been if they hadn't legged it.

"Ah, Captain Vines," Bogo said grinning. "I have your new detectives here," he gestured to Nick and Judy.

"Hopefully these ones can find their arses without a map," Vines said, rubbing his forehead.

"Or in Porklon's case, an atlas" Nick chuckled. The silence that followed threatened to swallow the assembled group whole. Judy looked up to see Vines glaring at the fox, as if daring him to burst in to flames.

"Fred Porklon happens to be one of my oldest friends…Wilde, is it?" The captain said, causing Nick to gulp in response.

"How are Sybil and young Sam?" Bogo asked, grinning and seeming to enjoy watching Nick suffer.

"Wonderful," Vines replied, not taking his eyes off Nick.

"Splendid," Bogo hummed. "Well Captain I'll leave it to you to get them settled, Good luck to you all, you'll need it," he finished and headed of, the merest hint of a chuckle escaping his lips.

Eventually, Vines stopped glaring at Nick and gestured the partners to follow him. They entered the ZCID offices, noting that unlike the main ZPD offices, it was open floored, multiple desks in sets of two facing each other. Most of them were piled high with files in nothing approaching order though one was completely immaculate. At the far side was what looked like a small bullpen just for the detectives. Though it seemed that this place was usually bustling, it was quiet now, with only one other officer, a blonde female wolf, in the room working at a monitor.

"We only have about a dozen detectives here in Precinct One, so I'll try and introduce you to most of them. Here's my second in command, Detective Sergeant Carrot Ironpaw."

"You have another rabbit working here sir?" Judy said confused, being sure that another rabbit detective would have been mentioned at some point.

"That would be myself Detective Hopps," a deep voice boomed, as a giant red haired shaggy bull came out of one of the side rooms. He was almost as big as Bogo, but wore an immaculate black suit that stood in stark contrast to his blazing red hair.

"You're…a rabbit?" Nick asked, looking at the towering creature.

"Sort of," Carrot replied, tipping his forelock to the fox. "I was raised by rabbits out in Podunk county, at least until I started banging my head on the burrow ceilings." The bull turned to Judy. "I must say it's a pleasure to have you both with us, but I'm glad to have a fellow rabbit on the force."

"Uh…" Judy responded, confused.

"Oh well when I say rabbit I know I'm a highland bull. But you know, 'you can take the carrot out of the patch, but it's still a carrot'" the bull explained, repeating an old rabbit saying that Judy had heard her father use from time to time.

"You get used to it," another voice said, it's owner stepping out from behind the towering Carrot. "Hi Detective Cheery Littlehorn at your service." The smaller bovine appeared to be an anoa, if Judy placed her genus right. "I'm Carrot's partner."

"Nice to meet you Detective," Judy said extending a paw and shaking the tiny cow's hand which was in turn followed by Nick.

"My turn I suppose" an unseen voice said. Judy and Nick looked around for the origin, but saw nothing. Vines chuckled, and pointed up. Nick and Judy followed his finger, and saw a shroud of leather unfurl a face that was not unlike Nick's but black with red fur starting at the neck.

"Is that a fox with wings?" Nick asked, confused.

"Almost!" the feminine voice said. The creature unfolded her wings, let go of the ceiling and flipped in mid-air landing in front of the pair, giving them a start. "Salacia von Fledermaus!" she said, bowing. "But you can call me Sally." Judy and Nick were stunned to find flying mammal that was so big, possibly the same height as Nick if she wasn't hunched over. "Hey cutie, what you doing after the shift?" she said, looking over Nick. Judy's felt a flash of anger take control of her, before she saw Sally laugh. She turned to Nick who had a horrified expression on his face. "Sorry I couldn't resist! Congratulations to you both by the way," the bat said pointing to Judy's ring. While the anger had subsided a little, Judy still felt annoyance at the bat's joke, causing her to start twisting the ring on her finger.

"Sally's our resident fruit bat, aerial surveillance expert, and creator of awkward moments," Vines commented watching the pair's expressions. "We're lucky to have her with us. Though I must ask why she's still gracing us with her presence since she's supposed to be out on a case with her partner," Vines said, his voice rising slightly.

"Sorry sir, that's my fault," the blonde wolf said stepping away from her desk. "Had to run a cross reference that I couldn't do last night."

"Is that because you left work early to get ready for your date with Carrot?" Vines asked, his eyebrow rising.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that sir," the wolf responded.

"As long as your work gets done on time I don't care about your relationship Angua."

"Yes sir, won't happen again," the wolf responded, before finally turning her attention to Nick and Judy. _Another interspecies couple?_ Judy mused, happy to find some common ground so early. Before she could espouse on this further, the she-wolf introduced herself. "Detective Sergeant Angua von Ubervolf," she said as another round of handshakes began. "Sorry we don't have time to chat, got to go question a suspect," she finished and turned to Vines. "Captain," she said and nodded to her partner who followed her out of the office.

"Well, that was…slightly overwhelming" Nick said, mirroring Judy's own thoughts. Having to introduce themselves so much in such a short time had her head spinning a little.

"Yeah, I had hoped to get you introduced gradually, but never mind. Carrot, Cheery, I'll need to see you later to go over the Diego case. Come see me after I've finished with these two" After the two bovines nodded and returned to their desks Carrot sitting at the only clean one, Vines headed for his office and indicated the fox and bunny should follow.

"Please take a seat," the wolf said as he closed the door. Judy couldn't help but be…impressed by the mounds of paperwork on her superior's desk. They dwarfed any of the ones outside, some seeming to slip in to each other. Despite this, it also seemed there was some sort of chaotic order to it, like nobody but Vines knew what the 'system' here was. To prove the point, he withdrew two files seemingly at random and placed them both in the small clear space directly in front of him. Reading the cover upside down, she saw that they were her and Nick's personnel files.

"I'll admit, when Bogo put your names forward for detective, I was hesitant. Oh, he has final say, but he values my opinion on such matters. Of course, I knew of you two from the Night howler fiasco, but the fact you Hopps, have only been on the force for just over 2 years, and Wilde even less, had my concerns." He stopped reach over to Judy's file and opened it. "That being said, looking at your arrest record, and the amount of cases you've closed impressed me." Judy beamed at the compliment, before looking into Vines' eyes. He didn't seem impressed. "However, it has been noted that you are a little reckless, something that I do not need in this department. I need detectives who can weigh up the situation and make the right call, and if they don't, admit and learn from those mistakes. Because if you fuck up, I get it in the neck from Bogo, which means I pass that on to you." Vines placed the folder down. "I would also appreciate it if you stopped drop kicking every suspect, because perpetrators with no teeth makes it hard for the recording equipment to get a clear statement, which makes our job harder. Understood?"

Judy stared resolutely as the wolf who had steepled his fingers together. "Yes sir."

"Good," Vines replied. He then turned to Nick, who audibly gulped. "First off Wilde, let me give you're a warning. Fred Porklon? He will not get on with you."

"Sir?" Nick asked confused by where this opening was going.

"As I said outside, he's one of my oldest friends, but with that comes the knowledge of his good and bad qualities. He's a good cop when he isn't lazy and ready to accept the first answer he comes across, but he's also…well I suppose bigoted is too strong a word, but he has 'views.'" Vines actually did the air quotes, showing his lack of caring on Porklon ideas. "I will say this, he gives you shit? I'll give him shit, but that goes for you too."

"Understood sir…can I still make jokes about his weight?"

"Could I stop you if I said no?"

"Probably not," Nick grinned.

"Then at least make fun of him for other reasons as well. With that said," Vines continued, now picking up Nick's folder. "I will admit to my own hesitation of having you on my team as well, mainly due to your past. However, considering your exemplary record since your joined the police I think it's fairly obvious that you've done very well in changing your ways. Though I hope not too much."

"Sir, I'm not sure I follow you," Nick replied.

"You've had a tough life from what I've read, and as a detective you'll probably end up going to some places that will tarnish your soul a little. But I get the feeling you may be used to those places, if not comfortable with them. Your record indicates that you're the more…intuitive of the two of you, which will be useful as a detective. More patient than your fiancée too," he chuckled. "I think together you'll make fine detectives."

"Thank you, sir," Nick and Judy said together.

"So now we've got that out of the way," Vines said placing Nick's folder down and reaching in to a draw. "Here," he said, handing over a small bundle of items in each hand. Nick and Judy took the items, and Judy squealed internally. In her hands was her new detective badge, gleaming with her serial number. She also had a small wallet with her official police I.D., which also had space for the badge to fit if she felt so inclined. She however, chose to place the badge in the other item, a leather holder with a chain attached. She placed the badge inside and then put it around her neck, displaying it proudly. Nick, on the other hand, elected to place his badge in the wallet, and placed that in his shirt pocket.

Next, Vines withdrew four weapons and four holsters, two of which were conceal carry shoulder holsters, the other were standard hip holsters. Two of the weapons were the familiar dart gun launchers that all beat cops were issued, though sized for the smaller mammal's hands. He then indicated the two other weapons, two small custom pistols…, one sized for a rabbit, the other for a fox, with lethal ammunition.

"You probably know this, but I'm going to state it anyway. In addition to your standard issue dart guns, which will always be your first line of defence, all our detectives are also issued these lethal weapons. I hope you will never have to use them, but since our work takes us to some of the darker places of the city, I feel better knowing you have these available. You _**will**_ only use these if no other choice is present, because if you fire that weapon for any other reason, you better hope I don't find out. Do I make myself clear detectives?"

Judy looked over to Nick, who was breathing hard.

"Detective Wilde?" Vines asked as Judy rested a paw on his leg, out of sight of her superior.

"Sorry sir, just brings back memories," Nick sighed. Judy wanted to comfort her fiancé, as he was obviously thinking about the hostage situation and his now deceased friend Robin again.

"I have to say Wilde, if you can't carry that weapon I would not feel comfortable putting you on the street." Vines said, but gently, seeming to understand Nick's reluctance. With that Nick took the shoulder holster in his size and put it on. He then checked the gun over, and placed it in the holster. Vines then withdrew a set of documents, signing over the weapons to Judy and Nick.

"Welcome to the ZCID," Vines said, nodding. "I expect you to work to the job, not to the clock, though don't take that as an order to work over your allotted hours unless you feel it's required. We get plenty of overtime allowance so you won't be out of pocket, and the night shift detectives will be accommodating. I don't have any cases ready to assign to you just yet, so please find a couple of desks and get yourselves settled." He said, indicating the door. Before they could do so, he yelled "CARROT!" causing the pair to jump seconds before the bull entered the room followed by his partner. This seemed to indicate the meeting was over so Judy grabbed her own weapons and holsters as Nick retrieved his dart gun. The two exited quickly and found a pair of desks halfway down the room that didn't seem to be occupied.

"Well, that was intense," Judy said, hoping to get Nick talking. The slight hesitation in taking the lethal weapon had her worried for her mate.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Nick said smiling at his partner. "More like terrifying," he chuckled.

For the next few hours the partners got themselves acclimated to their new desks, playing around with their computers and checking through various documentation until they were set to their liking. Judy setting her desktop to a backdrop of Bunnyburrow she had taken a few months ago while she and Nick visited her parents farm. As time went on, the other officers returned from their work, and started catching up on various paperwork around them. Judy found that the desk she and Nick had taken was across the aisle from Porklon and Dobby. She looked up a few times and caught Porklon staring at Nick, but fought down the urge to ask him if he had something on his mind. Nick didn't seem to care, so she shouldn't either. Dobby meanwhile kept looking over at his partner, seeming to also keep an eye on him.

"So, what are you hoping for our first case?" Nick asked, pointedly ignoring Porklon's grimace

"I'm not sure," Judy said excitement getting the better of her. "Maybe a robbery? You know something to ease us in?"

"Detective Badass Bunny wants something to be _eased in_?" Nick said, his trademark smug grin appearing on his face. "Well I could accommodate that, but I've never known you for one to want to take things slowly." Behind Judy, Sally the fruit bat covered her mouth with her wing as Angua snorted.

"Well I need to," Judy said sweetly. "If I go to fast my partner might not be able to keep up." It seemed Dobby had started listening intently as Sally and Angua tried to force themselves to make no more noises. Carrot seemed oblivious to the conversation that could be, while Cheery just looked confused.

Before Nick could retort, Vines door burst open, causing her and Nick to jump, while the other detectives seemed used to this. "We have a dead body on the border of the rainforest district and Savannah Central, Trip Street. "He glanced around at the assembled detectives, before meeting Judy's eyes. He hesitated for a second before finally speaking. "Hopps, Wilde, congratulations, you got your first case. Officer in charge is Delgato, forensics are on the way too." He paused for a second, allowing Judy to become excited at their first official case. Before she could fully process Vine yelling. "I SAID MOVE IT DETECTIVES!" Judy and Nick rushed to get their equipment together and bolted out of the room.

"Jeez, does the guy think giving heart attacks is a great motivation tool or something?" Nick said as he and Judy made their way down to the motor pool, grabbing the keys to their newly assigned unmarked car. Like their old cruiser, had been modified for the use of the smaller mammals. Judy won the ensuing argument over who got to drive it for the first time and hopped in to the driver's seat. She placed the key's in the ignition, but didn't immediately turn them.

"Everything OK Carrots?" Nick asked, looking his fiancée over.

"Yeah just…wow, first case as detectives and it's a death. I mean we've seen them before Nick, but we've never been the ones responsible for finding out what happened. I'm just a little nervous."

"Me too Judy," Nick admitted.

"I know, but you're much better at keeping that stuff locked down than me. "She started breathing heavily. "I mean what if it's a kid and we have to inform their parents, or…"

"Judy, perhaps we should go find out more about the body before we have to start worrying about the 'what ifs'?" Nick said coolly before raising a paw to his partner's cheek. "Besides, whatever we need to do, I know we can do it, because we're together."

"Yeah…yeah, you're right Nick," Judy said, appreciating the touch., Nick always managed to calm her, and she him. It's part of why they worked so well together.

"So, Detective Hopps," Nick said, his finger hovering over the unmarked car's sirens. "What say we go catch us a bad guy?"

"Yeah!" Judy screamed as she hit the gas.


	3. First Findings

Judy hammered the accelerator all the way to the scene, her earlier trepidation replaced with zeal and her usual attitude to driving, i.e. lots of swerving and barely avoiding other drivers. Twenty minutes later she brought the car to a halt as flashing red and blue lights in the distance confirmed they had arrived. She undid her seat belt and reached for the door handle, but hesitated for a second. _You got this Judy, you and Nick have got this._ She turned to her love, who breathed out a sigh and nodded to her. They exited the car and approached the scene, Nick putting on his trench coat to protect him from the constant moisture in the air that originated from the Rainforest District only a block away. He elicited a small yip of glee for being able to do so, which itself caused Judy to roll her eyes at him. _Like a kit playing dress up,_ she thought, though in all honesty she always liked to see Nick happy no matter how juvenile the reason.

A single police cruiser sat on the side of the street, and the standard yellow tape had cordoned off the area. A little further down the street, a van with the city morgue's insignia sat. A large white van was parked at the entrance of the alley, presumably the vehicle for the Scene of Crime Officers who Judy could see were starting to pack their equipment away. The jackal and hyena waved a greeting to the detectives and they responded in kind. Just behind their she could see the edges of the forensic tent, hiding the body from view. Judy could see the mammals from the coroner's office, a goat and sheep chatting outside the tent, probably comparing notes. Scanning the area, Judy then noticed her and Nick's old colleague, Officer Delgato, wearing a bright orange vest. By his body language Judy could tell he was trying his hardest not to maul a beaver reporter and his caribou camera mammal that stood in front of him, firing questions despite his silence. The lion glanced in her and Nick's direction and smiled, causing Woodrow Buckle to turn as well, his eyes locking with hers.

"Detective Hopps, Detective Wilde, what can you tell us about the situation here?" he said, bustling over, microphone in front. Judy sighed, she hated dealing with journalists, ever since her press conference during the Night Howler case she had done her very best to avoid talking to them at every occasion, as she always flashed back to that day causing her to freeze, stutter and basically go on random tangents instead of providing information, even if all she had to say was 'no comment.' Luckily, she had the absolute master of bullshit as her partner, she glanced up to Nick who winked at her and put on a grin that she had come to love, one of overly patronising positivity that he reserved specially to frustrate the press.

"Morning Wood!" Nick said, turning a simple greeting into innuendo with a practised ease. "Sorry to say but the ZPD has no official comment at this time, but we'll be sure to pass it along to our favourite reporter as soon as we make one up."

"Oh, Surely Detective Wilde you must be able to tell us something? I mean correct me if I'm wrong but is this not your first case for the ZCID's new hotshot detective duo?" Buckle said, determined to get something for the news.

"Well is it a thrill to be on our first case? Yes. Yes, it is. That's all your getting for now. Hey how long you been here anyway, I've only been here a few minutes and the water has gotten my coat drenched, you must be one wet beaver!" Nick said, causing the reporter to blank. Before he could recover, the two blew past him to Delgato.

"Nice to see you guys," Delgato said, greeting the pair warmly. He raised some of the police tape above their heads allowing them to enter the scene, before hopping over it himself and joining them.

"Nice to see you too Del," Judy responded. She was glad Delgato didn't seem nervous around her and Nick. He had been with the ZPD for eight years and had been one of their closest colleagues on the force. If he had any resentment for now being outranked by mammals over half a decade his junior in their careers, he was hiding it well. "Where's Jackson?" she asked, wondering where the lion's partner was.

"He's helping out at the academy this week. It's why Bogo's got me just on parking duty until he gets back," he said pointing to the bright orange vest over his uniform.

"So why are you here at a possible crime scene?" Nick asked.

"Heh not even a full day as detectives and already giving people the third degree? How my little junior colleagues grow up so fast," the lion replied in mocking tones. "I just happened to be the closest officer when the call came in."

"So, what have got?" Judy asked, her focus returning to the case.

"Got a call at around 1:45 from an anonymous tipster, saying they found a dead she-wolf here. By the time I turned up they'd long gone. "

"Possible murderer giving up a victim's location?" Nick said, easing in to the role of detective just like everything else in life, or at least appearing to do so. Judy would always marvel at how he could keep the cool exterior in almost any situation.

"I thought that at first, but there didn't seem to be any signs of a struggle, or wounds on the victim. Or any I.D. for that matter. The SOCO's think whoever called in the tip might have robbed the corpse before calling in. Just a hunch mind you, I put in a call to see if anything was caught on the city's cameras, but there isn't one covering this street so I doubt anything will come of it. You're best off talking to the Billy and Bo on this though," Delgato finished as the trio stopped at the tent. "I'll get back to the perimeter, but hey we're wondering if you guys would be up for drinks this weekend? Gonna have to properly celebrate your engagement after all."

"Yeah, I think we can manage that," Judy said. "We'll get back to you soon Del," she finished as Delgato returned to the cordon. She turned to a familiar pair of mammals from the coroner's office, Bill the goat, who was the lead forensic pathologist within Precinct One's jurisdiction. He was a bit of an odd ball in that regard, as he was also a fully qualified SOCO himself and thus liked to head out to the crime scenes if time allowed. Next to him was Bo, the coroner.

"Detectives," Billy the goat replied, removing his face mask and goggles. Bo the sheep just nodded in response. She was always the gruffer of the two.

"So, what can you tell us?" Judy said, getting down to business.

"We can show you instead, there wasn't much evidence to collect so we're pretty much done. Was just gonna let the coroners take her away after you'd looked, so you can't contaminate the crime scene anymore," Billy replied. "Though come to think of it I'd take a mask each, just as a precaution." Judy nodded and accepted two face masks, passing one to nick, which fit awkwardly on his muzzle. They then entered the tent and finally saw the corpse.

The brown she-wolf hadn't been dead long, as far as Judy could figure. She was laid on her back, arms bent at odd angles that would have been uncomfortable if she was alive. Her legs were also spread apart at similar angles. The wolf was wearing an old t-shirt featuring the Transfurmers character Hoptimus Prime and some loose black jogging pants with pockets on the side, both of which had the lining pulled inside out. As Judy got up to move around for another angle she heard Nick sniffing as he circled the other side of the wolf, using his canid nose to pick up on scents that Judy couldn't discern. While not as good as a nose of the wolves in the department, it had come in handy on several occasions.

"Anything?" she asked Nick, who shook his head.

"Just smells like alley in here mostly, there's a few scents around of other mammals, but they're faded. That water runoff from the Rainforest District washed anything useful away. Oh and, I don't think she's been sexually assaulted, but I can't be sure…" Nick replied, sniffing again then shrugging. He looked down at the body, a quizzical expression on his face. "You can smell that?" Billy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not always, but plenty of mammals leave a strong smell after 'making a deposit' shall we say? I can usually catch a whiff of something. Not with every species, but with a decent chunk and usually only enough to know when they've had sex within a day. Although with Judy…" Nick said a smirk beginning to form.

"Ah bah bah!" Judy interrupted, waving finger at her fiancé as a signal to stop talking.

"Does she look familiar to you at all Carrots? I swear I've seen her somewhere before but can't think where," Nick said taking his partner's hint.

Judy looked down at the wolf's face again, not getting even the vaguest of hints of recognition. Nick had a fantastic memory for faces and names, far better than hers, so if he couldn't remember her Judy had no chance. She decided to try a different tack. "So, Billy, any initial findings?"

"Well it's too early for anything conclusive you understand. We're fairly certain she's only been dead for about ten hours, given the lack of anything but the most basic decomposition. She has some light bruising on her knees which has embedded dust and gravel in her skin. It seems to match the alley, though again that would need further analysis to prove that. However, it does seem to indicate she fell on her knees and died here."

"If she fell on her knees, why is she laid on her back? Could she have rolled over after falling?" Judy asked.

"No, but a good catch none the less Detective Hopps!" Billy said, impressed. "There's some post-mortem bruising on her arms and legs, which seem to indicate she was rolled over after death."

"That and the fact it looks like someone emptied her pockets would fit in with the theory someone moved the body while looking for a wallet or something to steal, like Del said" Nick said to Judy. "Don't suppose our pre-grave robber left any clues themselves?"

"We found some hair that didn't seem to match the victim, which is about the most I can tell you about it right now until we get it back to the lab. Though we did find this in one of her pockets lining," Billy said, holding up a plastic baggy with a black business card with red lettering. Judy took it from him and while the printed had been damaged by the water she was just able to make out a name. "Inferno Gentlemammals club?" Judy asked, hearing a gasp from Nick. She turned to her partner. "You know the place Nick?"

"Well, yeah, although it's been years," he replied, but didn't give anything else away.

"Nick, if it's pertinent to the case, I won't get mad," Judy said smirking. She knew that a 'Gentle-mammals club," but was having fun teasing Nick.

"Fine, fine", Nick said with some hesitation, as if reliving a bad memory. "It's a strip club carrots, owned by one of my old friends."

"Hmm, so how well do you know this place?" Judy prodded coyly. It was then that she realised Nick was not showing any signs of embarrassment. She wasn't sure she could place his exact emotion right now, but whatever it was it was uncomfortable. He'd seemed happy…yet regretful at the same time

"Well I haven't been there for a couple of years, but probably well enough that we can talk to the owner without a warrant. It's on the edge of Downtown, not too far from the station actually," Nick admitted. He withdrew his phone from his trouser pocket and checked the time. "It's past 3:30 Fluff, I mean I guess we could go there now, but it won't be open until at least nine."

"Couldn't you call the owner?" Judy asked.

"I guess, but he's nocturnal, so if he's anything like when I last saw him he won't be awake for another few hours yet. Plus, we might be able to talk to others there if we go after it opens. It's usually busy enough even on a weekday."

"Hmm, I guess we should ask Vines if it's OK to do overtime on our first day anyway," Judy conceded. They'd have to rush back to the precinct to get their preliminary report submitted if they were going to clock off by six. _Should've known the first day wasn't going to go as planned,_ she thought. "Anything else we should know?" she asked, turning to the goat.

"Yeah, though I'm not sure how related to her death this is," Billy said. He pointed to the victim's muzzle. "Found some powder traces on her nose, and I'm willing to put money on it being pounce."

"Are we looking at a possible overdose here?" Judy asked, wondering if their first case would end rather anti-climatically after all.

"Well as I said its way too early to tell, but I don't think so. Pounce overdoses are rare, unless we're talking injections of crack pounce. However, I haven't found any injection marks yet so I'm thinking it's not an overdose. This is all guess work at the moment mind, we'll know more in a day or two once the autopsy report is done."

"I guess, thanks Billy," Judy said as she handed back the evidence bag with the card and exited the tent taking off her mask, Nick following suit and giving a casual salute to Bill. They both nodded to Bo as they passed and headed back to the cordon.

"Hey guys," Delgato said as he shooed away an onlooker. "Got anything?"

"Got a potential lead, but nothing concrete," Judy replied.

"Wow, already? Guess that's why you're the detectives and I'm still the beat cop."

"Hey now Del, I'm sure you'd make a great detective."

"Nah, I like being on the streets, too much time in front of a desk for my liking."

"Well if it's any consolation you're the second cutest meter maid I've ever seen," Nick chimed in, getting a smack in the stomach from Judy for the comment.

"Huh, you think? I don't think the orange matches my eyes," Del said chuckling. "Anything you need?"

"Nah," Judy answered. "They're just getting ready to take the poor mammal away."

"OK then, I'll get my statement typed up when I get back to the station for you asap," Delgato said, stopping at the cordon to raise the tape for the smaller mammals again.

"Thanks Del, we'll catch you later yeah?" Judy said stepping through and heading to their car. The beat cop nodded a goodbye as the fox and rabbit entered the car.

"So, thoughts?" Judy said as she started the vehicle up and began the drive back to Precinct One.

"Honestly? Not a lot," Nick said, sitting back and contemplating. "I mean the drugs could indicate an overdose, but Billy's usually on the ball when it comes to his gut feelings. I couldn't smell anything that gave me much of a clue either. Her clothing didn't really paint her as a working girl, so I can't rely on that old cliché either."

"Working girl?" Judy asked. "C'mon Nick, just say hooker like everyone else."

"Eh, you know me Carrots, don't like to judge," he replied looking out the window. Judy mentally agreed there, though they never really came across them much during their regular beat patrols, Nick always seemed extra courteous when interacting with the 'working girls and guys' of the city, as he put it. She didn't know why exactly. Oh, he arrested them and their customers as required, but he always treated the prostitutes, male or female, with far more respect than those soliciting them. It never interfered with his work, but it bugged Judy a little. I mean, they chose to break the law, so why should they get better treatment than a lawyer spending his bonus on them instead of say, their wife or kids?

 _Because they're lawyers, they deserve everything they get,_ her brain put forward. The thought caused her to chuckle to herself as she took them back to the precinct.

* * *

"Hmm, not a lot to go on really," Captain Vines said, after getting the preliminary report from his two newest detectives.

"No sir," Judy agreed as she sat in front of her superior. The verbal and written report had not taken long, so they'd actually finished well before their official clocking off time at six.

"And the Inferno club? You're acquainted with the owner you Wilde?" Vines asked, turning to Nick.

"Yes sir, old friend sir. I figure if we approach him tonight casually, rather than getting a warrant, he'll be more co-operative. That's why we're asking if it's OK to put in some overtime tonight. Not like we've got anything else to do until we get more information from the coroner."

"Makes sense," Vines agreed, impressed with the work ethic of his newest charges. "That reminds me, Bo sent over a copy of their preliminary report. Nothing in there yet you haven't told me but it has a photograph of the Jane Doe, might come in handy tonight," he said, handing it to Judy.

"I assume that means you're approving the overtime sir?" Judy asked.

"It does Hopps, but I'd suggest you relax for a couple of hours first," Vines suggested looking at the time and noting it was 5:19. "Since you'll be putting in the work tonight, you might as well head home now. If needed you can come in at ten tomorrow as well, your pay packet won't be affected. Dismissed," he finished, placing his copy of their report on his desk as Nick and Judy exited the office.

"Huh, he's being far more reasonable than I imagined," Nick said as he and Judy made their way to their desks to get their effects before heading home.

"What's that fox?" a voice asked from across the aisle. Judy and Nick turned to see Porklon laying back on his chair, while his partner seemed to be typing away at his computer. They were the only other mammals in the office, the rest of the detectives having left on their own cases after Judy and Nick had earlier. Though they had barely interacted, Judy was getting the impression that seeing Dobby working while Porklon relaxed was a regular occurrence.

"Well pig," Nick said, returning the casual insult. "Vines is letting us go early since we'll be pulling some overtime tonight."

"Oh yeah? What's got you guys so eager on your first day?" the pig asked.

"Our Jane Doe had a business card for a strip club, we're going there tonight to ask some questions," Judy butted in, showing support for her partner.

"Which one?" Dobby asked, his interest suddenly peaking and distracting him from his work.

"Inferno in Downtown," Nick replied.

"Don't think I've been to that one. Lemme know what it's like will ya?" the donkey replied, returning to his typing. Judy was finding she was starting to like Dobby, but she couldn't quite place why. Maybe because he had an air around him that he didn't care what people thought of him and just got on with life, something he shared with Nick. _Though Nick does care, he just doesn't show it anyone but me,_ she added mentally.

"Huh, figures," Porklon snorted which cause his partner to shake his head.

"And why's that?" Judy asked, crossing her arms while her foot started to tap.

"Figures a fox would go to a sleazy place like that on company time. Sleaze attracts sleaze after all," the hog finished, sniggering to himself.

While Nick didn't seem to react, Judy was getting ready to go shout every swear word she knew in alphabetical order at Porklon when a bellow of "FRED!" cut her short. The four detectives turned towards Vines office, where the wolf stood rigid. He extended an arm and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. The pig almost fell off his chair in his hurry to follow his superior's direction. Vines then eyed the three remaining mammals and said, "See you in the morning detectives," before entering the office and quietly closing the door.

"Oh bugger," Dobby said, as he hurried to save his work on the computer. "Come on, that Vines code for 'get the hell out unless you want to hear someone get a bollocking.'"

"I might," Judy said, though when Nick took her hand and looked her in the eyes, she decided against hanging around. The trio exited the offices, not hearing much anything but low indiscernible mumbles from the office as they past.

"Sorry about Fred," Dobby said as they headed down the stairs. "He's a good guy, but also a bit of a twat."

"No, really?" Nick and Judy said simultaneously, in mock shock.

"Yeah hard to believe, right?" Dobby said, smiling at the pair. "Let me put it this way, for the first few weeks as partners my name was 'Ass.' He warmed up to me eventually, but I still dunno what his problem was."

"Is he racist?" Judy asked, surprised that Porklon was like that to his partner. From their limited interaction, he assumed they were good friends.

"No, that indicates he hates a particular species. He just hates everyone," Dobby replied. "But yeah now he's one of my best mates, funny that huh?"

"Still…" Judy said, before a squeeze of her hand distracted her.

"It's fine Carrots really, he hasn't said anything that I haven't heard before, or worse."

"He shouldn't say it at all though…" Judy huffed. Despite the progress made in the city, she hated it when anyone was racist towards Nick, or other foxes in general come to think of it. _Probably overcompensating for your own views when you first met. And now you're going to marry him, I think he gets the point dear,_ she thought.

"You can't change everyone's mind overnight Jude," Nick said to his love.

"Least the Captain has your back as well," Dobby chimed in as they exited Precinct. "Anyway, I'm off for a pint, want to join?"

"Another time Dobby, we got to work tonight," Judy reminded him.

"Oh yeah sorry, forgot! Well see you tomorrow then," the donkey said, and headed off.

"He seems OK," Nick said as the pair headed for the subway and home. "So, what do you want to do when we get home Fluff? I think if we head to the club for ten everyone should be there. So, that gives us a good four hours by the time we get home."

"Well since we're going to a strip club, I think I better do my own show to make sure your eye doesn't wander…"


	4. Inferno

Judy glanced out of the car window as Nick searched for a parking spot near the club. What with having to grab a bite to eat and shower, they never did get time for that show she promised him, and she was starting to get nervous.

Despite everything that had happened between the two in the last few years, and even in the face of his marriage proposal, Judy always worried about not being good enough for her fox. Not on a personal level, as it's hard to think of yourself as a bad person when mammals everywhere idolise you. In fact, the opposite is true, you should be careful not to believe your own hype.

She was worried she didn't please him sexually.

Before they ever got together, Judy's curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she had started to do her research on fox mating. She found material very hard to come by, much to her disappointment.

Many people would comment on how odd it was for a rabbit of all creatures to be shy about sex. What they didn't realise is that most rabbits were very shy up until their first encounter. It's just that when the gates were opened (as it were), they found it very hard to stop. And Judy had kept her gates locked for a long time.

 _That metaphor was awful,_ she cringed at herself.

Foxes mated for life, she knew that despite what Nick thought at the proposal. Because of this it was rare for them to have more than one or two sexual partners in their lives, and to them it was a very personal matter. Conversely, fox porn was incredibly hard to find, because most did not want that moment to be shared. In fact, the few videos she did find were usually a decade or two old, featuring the same vixens and foxes over and over. The one thing that seemed to carry over in those videos though, was that those foxes were _really_ enjoying themselves.

Mops and buckets were involved halfway through several shows.

She had to admit though, her worries and insecurities were probably unfounded. Sex with Nick was fantastic. He always pleased her, and he always seemed pleased after their sessions, if not a little tired (bunnies do have excellent stamina after all). Hell, even the knot wasn't a problem anymore, though it had taken a while to get used to. Still, she couldn't help but feel he was missing out on something. She had no proof of this and she couldn't even talk to anyone else about it. Her mother had only ever been with her father, and while she had come across other mixed species relationships, she never had the courage to ask about the sex. As for her more experienced sisters, frankly all they ever wanted to talk about was Nick's size.

 _Jealous_ , she thought smugly.

But the revelation of Nick knowing an owner of a strip club, and the thought of his kindness to sex workers, had her anxieties working overtime. She trusted Nick completely and God knows the only sexual jokes he made to his friend involved her, though she wasn't sure if she should be proud or embarrassed at that fact. But it didn't stop her brain niggling at the 'what ifs," just like when they first got assigned to the case. It was completely stupid and insane, but still. Despite the fact she knew most foxes never had more than a couple of sexual partners at most, Nick was an exceptional fox, always going against the stereotypes. It made her feel inadequate, wondering if her own lack of sexual experience made it look like the grass might be greener on the other side. She knew this was ridiculous, he'd just proposed for God's sake! But she couldn't stop thinking like this.

The car stopped and she mentally shook herself. This wasn't the time or the place for her insecurities. She had a job to do. Nick glanced over to her and smiled which put her at ease, despite the thoughts running around in her head. She smiled back and exited the car.

Judy had been expecting a dirty run-down little hut in the middle of a parking lot, not unlike the one strip club that Bunnyburrow offered, but Inferno was as far away from that as possible. The club occupied a building in the middle of Downtown, surrounded by restaurants and bars on all sides. The sign itself didn't betray what the club was, which probably explained why it was still operating in such an upmarket area. Going by the queue of mammals outside of all genders and species, you could be forgiven for thinking it was your average trendy nightclub. The difference being that even on a Monday night, this had plenty of business. The line for entry was far longer than Judy had imagined, even with mammals being turned away at the door.

The only thing that betrayed the club being different from any other nightclub was the lack of any sort of bouncer on the outside. Instead, she'd observed groups of mammals walking up to the door, banging on it and were either let in, or simply stood in place until they inevitably gave up and left.

"Huh, seems he finally changed the sign," Nick commented, causing Judy to look up. The sign featured the club's name as a set of flickering moving flames that were far too animated to be simple neon glass. Possibly some kind of screen or hologram by the looks of things.

"OK Carrots, when we get in let me do the talking. These guys know me and probably won't chuck us out on our fuzzy rears and make us come back with a warrant."

"I know Nick, you're the lead here. I'm just the sweet innocent country rabbit about to be shocked by the sins of the big city," she said, putting on her best 'bumpkin' voice. She cringed inwardly, though Nick chuckled, calming her. He lead the way to the door, past several angry customers who were not happy that they seemed to be cutting in line. When Nick and Judy showed them their badges however, most shut up and several others decided to go elsewhere.

"Now let's see if the special knock still works," Nick said. He knocked on the door in a seemingly random pattern. It did however get the attention of the mammal inside the door, who opened a sliding panel further up and asked, "The hell you doing?"

"Still works," Nick said winking at Judy. "Hey Luther, long time no see!"

"Wilde? Oh, you can just fuck right off!" The mammal called Luther behind the door said before slamming the panel back in to place.

"Yeah, he remembers you fine," Judy said, laughing at her mate. Nick rapped another completely random series of knocks, causing it to slide back again.

"I said piss off Wilde!" the creature bellowed.

"Come on Luther, no love for an old friend?"

"Not one that still owes me twenty quid."

"Seriously? That was three years ago! And its bucks over here!"

"Yeah whatever, you're still running up interest!" Luther retorted, and slammed the hatch back again. Nick sighed, and brought out his wallet and knocked one final time.

"ZPD, here on official business," he said, flashing his badge before the door-mammal could shout a third time. Silence followed, but soon Judy picked up the sound of sliding bolts. The door swung open to reveal a badger a good head taller than Nick. He had the traditional white back stripe of his species, but the white on the top of his of his head seemed to dyed ginger. He was also bigger and more muscular than most of his species, and his eyes were a vibrant red. He was wearing a pair of brown leather fingerless gloves, and a black t-shirt that read 'security' on it, along with a pair of loose fitting blue jeans. Luther ushered Nick and Judy in to the red carpeted corridor, before slamming the door in the face of a hopeful patron. Judy looked to the left and saw a small step ladder, which Luther had used to reach up to the sliding panel about two thirds of the way up the door.

"So, to what do we owe this…" Luther started, before snapping the fingers on one hand as if he couldn't think of the word.

"Pleasure?" Nick suggested.

"No not that, oh yeah! Horror! To what do we owe this horror?" Luther remarked.

"Heh, walked right in to that, didn't I?" Nick said easily.

"Yeah, you did," the badger said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "So, what does the ZPD want with Inferno? Entertainment for the Christmas party? Because we're booked solid."

"We need to talk to Harry, is he around?"

"Maybe. I'll ask him," replied Luther. He raised a finger to his ear, Judy now just noticing a wireless headset that had been hidden by the black of his fur. "Oi Harry. We got cops. Nick Wilde to be precise. No, I'm not bloody joking! You sure? Fine." Nick went to talk to Luther, but the badger wasn't finished. He raised an admonishing finger while he pressed a button on his belt. "Schaefer? I got to go see Harry, come watch the door and be careful who you let in! Remember, we're a classy establishment." A few seconds later, a huge grizzly bear, also wearing a security t-shirt, lumbered up. Luther nodded to him and beckoned the detectives to follow.

As the group walked down the corridor a slight incline making her feel that they were going to basement level, Judy could feel a deep bass reverberating through the floor, getting more pronounced as they approached a door, where she could start hearing it as well. To the side was a polar bear bouncer, manning a safe. On the safe a sign read "surrender all mobile devices and cameras." Apparently, management didn't want a free viewing of the shows going up online. Luther nodded to the bouncer, who opened the door. The music intensified to an almost painful degree as the full gauche splendour of Inferno was revealed.

Living up to its name, the whole floor was covered in a flame décor. The chairs were shaped like plumes of smoke, the tables makeshift fire pits. Judy stared around her and saw various cages filled with dancing females of many species, and all of them were surrounded by even more variety of mammals, predominantly male, though the odd female was also visible. Meanwhile, various waitresses mingled in the crowd carrying drinks, all wearing black t-shirts with the club's logo emblazoned on them. Always nearby though, were several larger mammals with the same security shirt Luther wore, often standing near signs that said, "no touching the staff," as if to emphasise the point.

Everything was centred around one large stage that extended out from a curtained off backstage area. It had various colours of red, orange and white flashing lights beneath, creating an artificial flame. A huge pole was front and centre, and Judy became slightly mesmerised as an incredibly buxom jaguar gyrated around, surrounded by an entire ark's worth of mammals, almost all hooting and hollering like a bunch of horny schoolchildren. Some seem disinterested, perhaps waiting for a female of their own species to come on stage. That didn't stop the dozens of others shoving money in to the girl's garter belt as she spun and dipped around the pole, at one point touching the back of their head with her foot. She did all this in time with music provided by a feline DJ, an iriomite if Judy guessed right.

 _Well this is certainly different from 'The Dirty Den' back home,_ Judy thought. She'd helped dragged some of her siblings from there before their parents could find out. Their main dancer was a middle-aged doe who while not unattractive, was plagued by arthritis. She looked over to Nick, expecting him to be panting, but found him just looking around with a general air of disinterest, as if he'd seen all this before, and probably had. Judy felt her worries come back up a little, but they settled down as she knew she always had his full attention when she stripped, even if it was just to change a shirt.

Luther kept pacing through the club waving greetings to a few mammals. He stopped momentarily at the bar.

"Everything OK so far Syrus?" he asked a possum as he finished serving a round of drinks to a bunch of college aged wolves. The bartender nodded and Luther continued towards a door just behind the DJ. "Need anything Ryoushi?" the badger asked, leaning toward the feline, who waved him off. Luther then headed towards the door and opened it, indicating the detectives to follow.

The door lead to the backstage area where thankfully, the music dulled somewhat, though Judy could still feel the bass line. Here, several different species of strippers were dressing and undressing, getting ready for their own performances. Luther greeted them and waved off any questions about the police mammals behind him. After another few seconds, he reached a set of stairs and hustled up it before coming to a plain office door. He entered without knocking, leading to a decently sized office where a smartly dressed artic fox sat, looking over various papers on his desk. To his left a row of security monitors sat, allowing him to keep an eye on the club floor.

"Got the police for you Harry," Luther said, closing the door after Judy and Nick entered. He then took up station just to the side of it, leaning against the wall again.

The artic predator looked up and smiled warmly. "Huh, well I saw the news but I still had trouble believing it. Nick Wilde finally went legit."

"Sure did Harry, seemed like it worked out for you after all," Nick replied. Judy turned to her partner at that statement. _What exactly does he mean by that?_ She thought.

"Well you know what they say Nick. 'Pimpin' ain't easy!'"

 _Oh_.

Nick must have sensed a change in the air, or possibly smelled it. He turned to Judy. "Yes Carrots, Harry here used to be a pimp, one of the good ones."

"Good ones? Someone who bullies girls and takes their money can be 'a good one?'"

The atmosphere in the room grew decidedly colder.

"Detective Hopps I presume?" Harry said, his gaze hard and cold like the tundra he was suited for. Judy started straight back, not allowing herself to be cowed by the predator. "Hmm, good stare Detective, no wonder Nick fell for you." He sighed. "Yes Detective, I was a pimp, and no I'm not proud of it even though I never beat the girls under my…employ shall we say? I never asked them for more than a fair share. However, I was imprisoned for it years ago, and when I got out I decided to go legitimate, but in a way that played to my talent for promotion. I worked hard, bought this place and hired many of the girls who worked for me before as either bar staff, dancers, or whatever they wanted. I make sure they get a good wage, medical benefits, and the best security money can buy. Isn't that right Luther?" the fox said, looking over to the door. Luther shrugged noncommittally.

"Don't mind him, he just can't take a compliment. It's one of his more endearing qualities," Harry said smirking. Luther raised a middle finger in salute to his boss. "See? Absolutely adorable."

Judy thought about the statement from Harry, and decided to let things lie. Despite her moral objection to his, supposedly, former life, if Nick trusted him he would be at least a good source of information.

"Mr Westwood, we're looking in to the death of this girl," she said, removing the photo of the dead she-wolf from her jacket and handing it over. "An Inferno business card was found on her person, so we were wondering if she was an employee of yours?"

Harry studied the picture. "I'll be honest I don't think so, but we do get girls coming and going a lot. Do you have a name?"

"We were hoping you would be able to provide one," Judy replied.

"Hmm, I suppose I could pull our employee records for the wolves we've had working here in any capacity and provide them to you on a USB stick. It would take about twenty minutes. Why don't you get yourselves a drink while you wait? On the house."

"We're on duty, we can't drink," Nick advised.

"I assume a soda is allowed?"

"What do you say Judy?" Nick asked. Judy hesitated. There was no rule against accepting free food or drinks within the force. Bogo frowned upon it, but never did anything about it if it stayed at that level, and was never taken as a bribe. Anyone taking a bribe at the ZPD was in for a world of hurt.

"Well I guess while we're waiting," Judy said shrugging.

"Excellent. Luther, take them down and get them a drink gratis." The badger nodded, and opened the door and waved the detectives through it. They returned to the club floor where Luther advised the possum Syrus to hand over some drinks. When the badger didn't leave them alone, Judy assumed he'd decided to play bodyguard or chaperone. Not one to get intimidated she decided to engage him in conversation.

"So, Mr…" she started.

"Hill, Luther Hill. Just call me Luther."

"Well Luther, so how did you come to be head of security here?"

"Beat up Harry in prison."

"What?"

"Beat Harry up in prison."

"Why?"

"Cos he was a pimp."

"And you were in prison for?"

"Beating up pimps."

"Oh."

"This may have clued you in to why I don't like police much. Guy tries to send a message to scum, gets in jail himself. You're almost as bad as lawyers."

"So if you beat him up for that in prison, why would you come work for him?" Judy asked, not wanting to get into a heated discussion on the need of a civilian police force or the dangers of vigilantism.

"Cos it pays well, and honestly? After he got out of the hospital he came up to me. Must admit, took some balls. We got to talking and ended up being mates. I got out a couple of years before him, but when he got out he came to me to discuss this place, and there you go."

"Seems like there would be more to it than that."

"Oh there is, but I'm not telling it," Luther then proceeded to sit and wait quietly. After a few more minutes, Harry came down with a USB drive.

"Here's every wolf we've hired in the last five years. Don't know how much it will help."

"Thanks Harry, it's appreciated," Nick replied, taking the USB drive and pocketing it. "Would you mind if we talked to your employees as well?"

"Sure, but give it another half hour as we take a break between shows then. Luther, make sure they get some more drinks."

"Sure Harry, I'll..." Luther began, but the sound of smashing glass from the other side of the club interrupted him, causing the badger to speed off. Nick and Judy followed suit, and after moving through the crowd, found that a large overweight bison had grabbed one of the bovine waitresses by the wrist.

"C'mon girl, how's about a lap dance?" the male leered as the waitress pulled her wrist away from the unwanted attention.

"OI! ARSEHOLE!" Luther screamed as he ran up. The bison turned at the shout. "Oh good, you know your name!" Luther barked as he got between the waitress and the obviously drunken customer.

"Hey man it's all good," the bison slurred.

"No, it isn't! the signs say 'no touching!'"

"Oh, I thought it just meant the dancers."

"No, it means everyone prick! Now get the fuck out!"

"Alright alright I know how this goes," the bison said, fumbling in his trousers. He produced a wallet and withdrew a few bills. "How much for a private session with this lovely lady?" he said, before forcing the bills in to Luther's hand. Luther looked down at the money, then took it in both hands torn it in half.

"Hey man there was like, two hundred bucks in there!" The drunken bovine shouted. Before most people knew what was going on he bellowed and swiped at the badger. Luther ducked below the blow, rolled, and came up in front of the drunk's right knee. He made a fist and drove it in to the side. A loud crack was heard and the bison screamed in pain as he fell to the floor, clutching his now broken knee. He tried to stand back up, but before he could Judy shouted "ZPD! FREEZE!"

Luther and the drunk turned to her. The bison smiled as he used a nearby table to drag himself from the floor. "Officer! This guy assaulted me, you should arrest him!"

"No. What I see is a security guard dealing with a rowdy customer and then defending himself from assault," she responded, causing the bison to blanche. "That means I'm placing you under arrest sir! And its detective, not officer!"

"Screw that!" the drunk yelled and tried to leap for Judy on his one good leg. She easily dodged and hoped over the mammal, delivering a quick kick to the head as she sailed past, knocking him to the ground again. She landed and turned, drawing her dart pistol as the thick-headed mammal turned and charged for her. Just as she was about to squeeze the trigger, a single dart hit the bison in the shoulder from behind. Judy saw Nick replacing his own pistol as the drunk collapsed to the ground. She fought down an urge to say that he didn't need to do that, but in all honesty Nick was a faster and better shot than her.

"Cheer up Carrots, least _you_ don't have to fill out the paperwork for firing your weapon now," Nick smugly replied

"Thank you so much for that detectives," Harry said, walking up after watching the fight from afar. "Usually when Luther has to sort out a customer I have to replace three tables."

"Yeah yeah, thanks for the help coppers," Luther said, walking over. "So, this'll be fun to watch."

"What do you mean?" Judy asked.

"Watching you two take that fat lump out of here," Luther said, pointing to the bison. Judy groaned, there was no way there were going to be able to move the sleeping drunk on their own. They also technically couldn't ask the bouncers for help as he was now officially in police custody, so any civilian help would endure a lot more paperwork.

"We're gonna have to call in a squad car," she finally realised. This would also create paperwork, though not as much as having to ask for the bouncers' help.

"Wonderful, more police, my second favourite class of class of government employee. Right behind the sloths at the DMV but ahead of the garbage collectors who wake me up at 6am," Luther grumbled.

About ten minutes later the drunk was hauled away by Wolford and Fangmeyer, who had been on night patrol nearby. They managed to drag the sleeping bison away, though not before Wolford had to be smacked on the back of his head by his partner for drooling on the floor.

"Well, that was fun," Harry said beaming. "Of course, the last time the police came into my place of business I got shot full of tranquilisers and ended up in prison for eight years, so anything would be fun compared to that. Do you need anything else detectives?"

"Well we'd like to talk to the girls, like I said before," Judy answered.

"Ah of course. Could you wait until the end of this latest performance? It's our most popular girl on and she might be useful to your enquiries." The fox's smile suddenly became full of mischief. "I think you will find her particularly enjoyable, Nick."

"Huh?" Nick asked. Judy started wondering what exactly he meant by that, and noticed that Luther had started chuckling. Before she could start asking questions, Harry retreated to his office, while the badger wandered over to the DJ booth.

"What was that about?" Judy asked.

"Search me Fluff, these guys always had an odd sense of humour. Guess it comes with the job."

"Nick? How do you know these guys?"

"I told you I know everybody, remember?"

"Yes," Judy said, reminiscing about her and Nick's first investigation. While it was exaggerated, he did have an incredibly wide social network, especially among the less than legal citizens. However, she had come to know him so intimately, she could see a Nick deflection a mile off. "But how do you know these guys specifically?"

"Eh, just you know, knew Harry from when I was a kid. Luther after he started this place."

"Nick, what aren't you telling me?"

"Judy, please drop it." That stunned Judy. Throughout their relationship, professional or otherwise, Nick had never told her to just drop something. She'd back off, but was always welcome to ask again later. Being told to drop something by her partner started her mind worrying about Nick's hidden association with the former pimp even more.

Suddenly before Judy could press for answers, the lights in the club dimmed, and the DJ by the stage started speaking. "Ladies and gentle-mammals, now performing for your pleasure is Inferno's star, and everyone's favourite police officer! Be careful _bad boys_ because she's coming for you, _if you're lucky!_ Please welcome LEWDY HOPPS!"

Judy's head snapped towards the stage, where the remaining crowds grew ecstatic as a small figure bounded out of the back stage in complete sync with a heavily remixed version of Inner Squirrel's "Bad Boys." Judy stared in complete silence as she couldn't wrap her head around what she was seeing.

It was her, or rather her doppelgänger, on stage, in the most impractical police outfit she had ever seen. The doe strutted up the stage, swinging a pair of fur lined handcuffs on her index finger. Tight leather trousers contained her legs but left nothing to the imagination. Her shirt was simple a scrap of fabric tied with dental floss, barely concealing her lithe form and large breasts, larger than Judy's at least. The only thing that looked even vaguely official was a ZPD cap, or rather a cheap imitation. The rabbit had Judy's exact same fur colouring, but she knew her colouring was one of the most common in rabbits.

But it was the eyes that really shocked her.

The doe's eyes were the exact same colour as hers. Judy's eyes were one of her defining features, very few rabbits had the same amethyst she had, and she knew Nick loved staring in to them. To see them on…on this creature! On this _whore_ was turning her stomach.

The doe tossed the handcuffs in to the crowd and drew level with the pole at the end of the stage. She grabbed it, and swung around to the other side, and stretched one leg up the pole, spreading her legs apart in obscene show of sensuality, or at least this was what Judy thought it was. Without warning, the _other_ Judy ripped off her pants, revealing the merest hint of underwear, purple studs shining in the Inferno's spotlights. The doe continued strutting around the pole, leaning against it and fondling it like a giant phallus. She ripped off her shirt, revealing a bikini top that only just covered her nipples. She threw her hat to the audience, causing a minor fight, and started grinding up against the pole, as if using it to stimulate herself. Judy couldn't look away; it has horrifying seeing herself act like this in front of this many people. She only did anything remotely like this for Nick, but her strip teases were a bible study compared to this…this debauchery!

"What's the hell is this!? she asked herself, not believing what was happening. Surprisingly, she got an answer.

"I…I think one of my fantasies came true…" Nick replied and Judy turned to her fiancé, who was panting, _actually panting_ at this display of hedonism! She then looked down and noticed a bulge in his trousers. _He's HARD at this?_ Before she could start on breaking his legs however, the crowd went wild, causing Judy to turn back and find that the imposter had jumped up the pole, gripping it between her thighs. She then quickly removed her top, allowing her full breasts to be exposed to the crowd, before started putting on a gymnastic show so heinous and erotic, it would have been disqualified at the Olympics on the grounds of public decency. A few more seconds of this and the rabbit slid down the pole, before getting up a dancing to the songs climax. Just as the song finished, the rabbit ripped off her last piece of clothing and showed her full naked self to the world. The crowd applauded and cheered, and started throwing money at the doe.

Suddenly the feedback from a microphone cut through the crowd. "The Inferno would like to thank special guests Detective Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps for being here this evening to witness the show!" the DJ barked and a spotlight blinded Judy. When she gained enough of her sight she saw Luther laughing his head off at the DJ booth, revelling in her embarrassment. She turned back to the stage where her evil twin (for what else could she be) was staring at her with a matching look of embarrassment and mortification. Before Judy could say anything, the naked doe sprinted for the back-stage area, leaving the piles of cash on the floor.

Judy couldn't fault her logic, but tried to remain calm. Doing her best impression of her partner, she put on a stoic look so they couldn't see that the show had gotten to her, and simply turned around and walked out of the club. Nick hung back slightly but followed her to the car.

After a drive in complete silence Nick tried to talk to her as they made their way back to their apartment, but Judy refused to speak She practically kicked the door in and calmly walked to their living room.

"Carrots, are you OK?"

"No Nick, I'm not…that was so embarrassing."

"Yeah sorry Carrots, I had no idea that would happen."

The rabbit turned and instead of the glare that Nick expected he found a playful smirk. "Did you like what you saw?"

"Uhm…" Nicks aid, completely lost on where Judy was going with this. The doe lightly stepped over to him, swaying her hips seductively

"Did you enjoy seeing me dance like that?"

"But that wasn't you Judy…" Nick said. His brain was screaming this was a trap but his libido did not care one iota.

"Yeah, but would you like that? To see me do that, be that lithe and forward, in front of a screaming crowd?"

"Uhm, Uh, ah…" Nick sputtered completely at a loss for words as Judy pushed him back towards the bedroom, she spun and stepped inside before pausing.

"It's OK Nick, you don't have to answer now."

"No?" Nick asked, seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

"No. But you can think on it _**WHILE YOU SLEEP ON THE COUCH TONIGHT!**_ " Judy shouted and slammed the bedroom door in his face, revealing that the light at the end of the tunnel was a train coming the other way. And it was on fire.

Nick stood there for a full minute before letting out a word that summed up everything that he felt, but also was ironic considering it described what he wouldn't be doing tonight.

"Fuck."


	5. Anger and Remorse

The next day at work was rather tense. With few leads to work on, Nick and Judy filtered through the files on the USB stick provided by Harry in complete silence, never speaking aside from that required for their job. Nick was sluggish and stiff, having spent the entire night on the couch causing him to have an unrestful sleep. While Judy was still too angry to admit it, she was also tired and sluggish. She had gotten so used to sleeping next to Nick that it just felt wrong not to have him in bed with her, or his tail to cuddle in to.

This had not gone unnoticed by their fellow detectives either, as you would expect from a group of people who were actually paid to stick their noses in other people's business. Even though they had only been in the same department for a day, the stark contrast in their attitudes since Monday was overwhelmingly apparent. Multiple times Sally, Angua and Cheery had come up to Judy to see if she was alright, while Carrot and Dobby had done the same for Nick. Meanwhile Vines just sat in his office, content to let whatever was happening happen, as long as it didn't interfere in their work.

Fred Porklon however, had stayed well out of it until Judy had excused herself to get her fourth cup of coffee for the day. Surprisingly she'd found that Vines was well aware of the need for good coffee to sustain his subordinates, and while it wasn't the best she ever had, it was ambrosia compared to what she'd forced herself to drink while on the beat. It was while she was breathing in the scent of French vanilla that Fred made his presence known.

"So, what's up with you and Wilde?" the pig asked.

"Leave it Fred, I don't know you well enough to discuss my relationship."

"Ah, finally figured out he's taking you for a ride huh?" the pig commented, reaching for a cup.

Judy snapped. No matter what was going on between Nick and her at that moment, she would never allow bigoted pricks like Fred Porklon to belittle her mate.

"Listen here you fat piece of shit!" she yelled, not caring that the entire office could hear her. "I don't give two goddamn fucks want you think, but I swear if you keep saying racist crap about Nick to my face I'm going to pound your stupid nose so far in to your face they'll need a crowbar to pry it out during the surgery!" Fred stumbled backwards, deciding he'd been worried about the wrong detective in this partnership. Before anything else could happen, Nick ran up to Judy and pressed her close to him, rubbing the back of her head as she screamed incoherent frustration in to his chest.

Vines door slammed open, something that Judy became aware she was probably going to hear a lot of…if she was in the job for long enough.

"HOPPS! WILDE! IN HERE! NOW!" He called. Nick and Judy sombrely made their way to the office while Porklon snickered. "FRED I'LL SEE YOU AFTERWARDS!" the wolf shouted, causing the pig to stop laughing. After slamming the door, Vines returned to his desk and stared at the two smaller mammals.

"I don't care what is going on in your relationship as long as it doesn't interfere with your work, but it's only your second day and it already is. You have until tomorrow morning to sort whatever is going on between you out and if it isn't sorted by then, I'll be taking the case from you and recommending to Bogo that you go back to beat duty, possibly with new partners. Got it?" The rabbit and fox nodded, too angry and scared respectively to give a more coherent answer. "Good, now get out of here and don't come back until tomorrow. Your pay will be docked for the hours you're not working." With that said, Vines stood up and shouted for Fred to get in his office, confirming to Judy and Nick that their meeting was over. They walked out, passing the pig who glared at them. It may have been Judy's imagination, but he felt Vines slammed the door even harder after Fred entered.

"How the hell has that door not come off its hinges?" Nick asked no one in particular.

"We reinforced them after the fourth one," Carrot said, not looking up from his desk. The rest of the detectives remained silent, continuing with their work.

"So, uhm…want to go grab a bite to eat?" Nick asked Judy who was deep in thought.

"I think what we have to talk about would be better done at home don't you?" she replied, wanting to get things back to normal as soon as possible. She was sick of being mad at Nick but needed to know what was going on.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Nick sighed. Without any word, the two made their way out of Precinct One. On the way they walked by Bogo, who shook his head after he saw the look on their faces. As they passed the dispatch desk, Clawhauser called out. "Oh oh Judy! I got someone on the phone who wants to come in and talk to you about your case!"

Nick and Judy paused and looked at each other. Nick shrugged while Judy huffed at the gesture. "Ben, we're a bit busy at the moment Can you ask them if they could come in tomorrow morning, say ten?" She waited as the cheetah asked the question and gave a thumb's up. Before he could give her any other information, Judy turned and strode out of the building, quickly followed by Nick.

"You sure that was a good idea Carrots? We might not be on the case after all."

"Either we will be or Vines will have to hand it to someone else, so there's no sense in delaying justice any longer than we have to," she responded, before wincing as she realised she sounded like a comic book character. With that the rest of the trip home was in silence. As their apartment was only a few minutes' walk from the precinct, they never bothered with their own car. They walked silently next to each other, wanting to keep things quiet until they got home. During the walk, Judy felt she was about to cry at the prospect of the argument to come, and the thought of losing their new jobs only days after they started. Nick, sensing something, brushed his long tail against her shorter one. It was a small gesture he had adopted on patrol where they weren't able to show any overt public displays of affection, and as always it calmed her down significantly. What she really wanted to do was grab his arm and hold him close, but her anger, and now a small amount of shame to go with it, stopped her.

Eventually, the partners arrived in their apartment. "Do you mind if I take a shower before we get started Fluff? It'll wake me up." Judy nodded before sitting down on the sofa watching Nick toss his keys and wallet on the coffee table. She wanted to shower as well, but realised Nick was probably the worse for wear out of the two of them. She waited patiently, fighting an urge to doze off, when Nick exited the shower in his towel. Wondering if this was a rather unsubtle attempt at seduction she quickly dismissed the notion when he entered the bedroom and returned in his ZPD academy shirt and a pair of loose fitting jogging trousers, which he always wore when he had no plans to do much for the rest of the day besides slob around the apartment, due to either being too lazy or exhausted for much else.

He sat down in the one armchair they owned but rarely used, as the two of them mostly sat together on the couch. She'd hoped he would have joined her there, but he obviously felt some distance was required.

"I'm sorry," Nick said, before Judy could say anything. "I'm sorry I got horny at that sight of that other bunny. I'm sorry I said one of my fantasies came true. I will say, in my defence, it was a case of seeing two of you, rather than seeing another bunny. But still it was wrong and I'm sorry."

Judy looked over at her fox, seeing the sincerity in his eyes and sighed. "Like you could handle two of me. You can barely handle one," she chuckled.

"I'll admit to that," Nick said smiling, seemingly thinking Judy had forgiven him already. She hated to do this after giving a bit of hope, but it needed addressing.

"You know that isn't the reason I'm mad at you," she said, watching his smile fade. "Or at least the main reason."

"Judy…" Nick said, his face become set, something he did when he didn't want to betray any emotions.

"Nick, you've never hidden anything from me before, why start now?"

"I would think it would show you that it's serious enough for you not to press me on it," Nick said, turning his head away.

"Well I'm sorry Nick, but I can't! We're detectives! We're inquisitive by nature! So you can't just expect me to leave a thread hanging!"

"It has nothing to do with you," he huffed, not turning to her.

"Of course it does!" she shot back. "I'm your partner Nick, in every sense of the word! If something is bothering you, it bothers me! If you hide something from me it makes me worry about you! It makes me wonder if I'm good enough for you since you won't share…"

"Judy…"

"Let me finish! And when you won't tell me about your past, it makes me question why you won't! Nick, I don't care what you've done in the past! You're a great mammal Nick, not just a great fox! You're the best mammal I know! Whatever you did in the past is only important in that it helped make you into the fox I love today! So when you won't tell me your secrets…"

"It's not my secret to tell Judy…"

"THEN WHOSE IS IT!?" she wailed, her anger getting the better of her at being denied a straight answer. "Who are you protecting Nick? Harry? He's not shy about his past! What? Is it some fucking whore…"

" _ **DON'T CALL MY MOTHER A WHORE**_!"

Judy stopped mid-rant, unable to process what Nick had said. She looked over to him and saw he'd stood up in his rage, paws curled in to tight fists. She looked in to his eyes and saw anger and sadness all boiling over, tears running down his face as he breathed heavily. He was fighting between crying and bearing his teeth. This was new for her, of course she'd seen him sad and angry at her at various points in their lives, but this was something else. She could feel the negative emotions emanating from him. Suddenly, his face went pale as he seemed to realise what he just said. He breathed out and fell back down to the chair, causing it to slide back several inches.

"Nick..." Judy said, moving towards him, her hand outstretched.

"Please Judy. Just...just don't OK?" Nick said crossing his arms. She sat back down and brought her knees up to her chest, keeping her eyes locked on his. He was still silently crying, the tears now staining his shirt. Judy realised she'd stopped breathing and her chest began to ache.

"Your mother was a prostitute…" she said as she took a breath

"For a while when I was a kid, yes."

"But why? She always seemed so decent…" she asked, and immediately _knew_ she'd said the wrong thing.

"That's exactly why I didn't want to fucking tell you!" he said, venom exploding from his lips. "She _is_ a decent mammal Judy! She's the second-best mammal I know after you!" He stopped before continuing, which made Judy worry he was going to take that statement back. "Trust me, as a shifty bastard I know who's trustworthy! You say that my past doesn't matter, but when someone else has done things that you don't agree with, you let that colour your opinion of them! So how the hell am I supposed to believe you when you say that wouldn't happen to me!?" he screamed, his voice becoming hoarse. He stopped, the tears coming even quicker and the breathing harsher.

Without warning Nick stood up grabbed his wallet and keys, before heading for the door. Judy flashed back to the press conference during the Night Howler case, where Nick threw her prejudices in her face, handed back his application to the ZPD and walked out of Precinct One. They'd been separated for months after that and she remembered it as the absolute worst time of her life. After they'd reunited she'd found out that they were exactly that for Nick too. He'd confessed he'd barely ate and even considered just 'giving up' at one point He hadn't elaborated on the statement but she had always worried about the implications.

She felt wretched and knew she deserved it, but she couldn't let Nick go through that again.

With a speed that would have caused a cheetah to say, "Did anyone feel that draft?" she leapt from the couch, scrambled under Nick's leg and slammed into the door. She quickly locked it, and then before Nick could make some comment on being made prisoner, leapt at his chest and brought him to the floor. Finally pausing to take a breath, she let out a gut wrenching sob and cried. If Nick's tears had been like a burst pipe, hers were a waterfall. Between breaths she tried to say she was sorry over and over, but her throat had become so ragged after a few cries it was barely intelligible. Nick's shirt was becoming soaked with tears and mucus and she felt the mother of all headaches coming on, half suspecting it was due to dehydration.

After what seemed like forever, she felt Nick's paws wrap around her and hold her close. "Thank you for not letting me leave my love," he whispered into her ear, causing her heart to skip. Despite everything he was still willing to give her a chance.

"Nick, please tell me about what happened. I promise I'll keep quiet and be open-minded. I'm not letting my ignorance come between us again."

A second eternity of silence went by before he answered.

"OK."


	6. Regretful Past

"After Dad died, Mom had a really tough time. What made it worse is that she had to do her best to be there for me no matter what she was going through. I know I was only young but growing up after one of your parents' dies is weird. You miss them, then you wonder if you're the reason they're not around anymore, then you're angry at them and lie to yourself that you're glad they're dead. And then you do something stupid like say that to your one remaining parent, who, at the end of their rope, has to wrestle between being there for a kid who just doesn't have the emotional maturity to grieve properly, while wanting to just give them a good solid slap.

"Mom never gave me the slap I really deserved.

"She always, always did her best to make sure we had a roof over our head and food to eat. I may not have had all the latest toys or the best clothes, but I never went hungry. In hindsight that's amazing, but when you're a little kid you're selfish and get bullied for not having the latest video games or what have you. As I got older I understood, but those first years after Dad's death had me being a brat.

"Suddenly, Mom started being able to afford things. I still wasn't getting all the best stuff, but I was getting _better_ stuff. Hell, she even managed to get me a PlayStable console not long after it came out. Of course, the fact that she was home and slept during the day, while going out to work very late at night didn't seem odd to my stupid little kid mind at the time. There were a couple of times she'd come home with a black eye, and she'd just mumble something about running in to a door and said she'd be fine tomorrow.

"Ah, the naivety of youth.

"A while later, Mom bumped into an old friend from her school days, Harry. Or 'Uncle Harry' as I came to know him. He took me and her out for ice cream. At first, I thought he was someone trying to date her, which I minded…right up until he bought me the biggest ice cream sundae I'd ever seen in my life. I remember that because I was sick for the whole day afterwards but didn't regret it one bit. What can I say? I was a greedy little kit.

"After meeting Harry, thing got better. Mom could afford more nice things for me as well as herself, finally, and never came home hurt again. This went on for a good year or two? I can't remember exactly, but still it was good. Harry would even come around occasionally and talk to me. He even babysat me a couple of times when Mom had to work extra late. It was great! He'd bring pizza and movies that Mom never let me watch. No nothing like _that_ Judy. I mean stuff like _Conan the Barbearian, Commandoe, Top Gnu, Mad Manx_ , all the cool action movies! He'd even play games with me and set up my first internet connection.

"But then one day, Harry stopped visiting, and Mom was home a lot more. She sat me down and said she'd had to leave her current job and that meant I wouldn't have as many nice things anymore. Of course, by this point I was older and understood, so things were fine. Right up until I started using the internet to look up news.

"Harry's trial was the headline on ZNN. I read the article, unable to believe what I was reading. This cool guy took advantage of people, used their position in life to make money off their misery. I couldn't believe it. Still being naive as hell, I confronted Mom about it, asking how she could help him do this to so many mammals.

"She told me she was one of those mammals.

"You already know foxes mate for life. This is why you don't see a lot of fox prostitutes or porn stars around…yes Carrots I've seen your browser history. Oh don't get like that! If it helps my home page before we moved in together was . Anyway, the reason Mom was making such good money was because of the fact she was a fox, so she could charge top dollar and still get a decent number of clients. I don't feel good about it, but I can understand the logic of why a young, single, grieving mother with a mouth to feed and no qualifications found the idea slightly more appetising than cleaning up down at the Bug Burgah three nights a week for just enough money not to be called slave labour.

"She explained how she'd actually met Harry when she was thrown out of a car by one of her clients. This was the second black eye she had gotten and Harry just happened to be nearby. During his younger days Harry was quite a brawler and made sure the guy paid Mom her fair share, and more. They'd got to talking and he offered Mom his services.

"I was so confused and guilty. Mom had gotten in to this world because she was trying to provide for me, try and give me a normal life. Well she went and screwed that up, but I couldn't blame her.

"In my mind, this was all Harry's fault. The only reason Mom wasn't in jail at the time is that she had made enough money not to work for a while and wasn't at his brothel when it was raided. But she never would have even run the risk if he hadn't turned up. Still he was in jail, so he got what he deserved. Mom started looking for regular work again but obviously, we were back on hard times. But I wasn't going to complain or let her think I wasn't happy after learning what she did to try and support us. In fact, I decided to help. I tried getting after school jobs, but this is when I started seeing why Mom had gone the route she had. You know how hard it is for a fox to get a legitimate job in this city? At least back then? Damned hard! After six months of trying I started my first hustles. Nothing big, just a few extra bucks off the kids of school here and there, but I enjoyed it. For a time, things were good. Of course, until Mom found out I was doing the cons and kicked my ass seven ways from Sunday. Didn't stop me though. I'd rather have her angry at me than be forced to go back to that life.

"A few years after that, Harry got out of prison and came to visit. Heh, I almost ripped his throat out when he turned up at the door, but by that time he was dragging Luther around with him. That guy does not take kindly to people jumping his friends. Anyway, after making sure I didn't have a concussion, he gave me his life story. Long and short of it is that he was the son of two drug addicts who whored out his sisters for money. After the police did nothing about it…yes Carrots I know things aren't like that now but this was maybe about 30 years ago. The police did not give two shits about foxes back then. So, he decided to take matters to his own hands. Unlike Luther however, he thought it was a better idea to give the girls a place of safety, rather than just beating up people on the street. Anyway, he offered Mom a job at Inferno. She could do whatever she wanted, dancer, cleaner, bartender, whatever…but she turned it down. She'd wanted to get away from that life, even if it was a full legitimate business. By that time, she'd managed to get a decent job as an admin at my high school. Probably to keep an eye on me if I'm honest. Anyway, I still saw Harry occasionally after that. He even treated me to free drinks at the club on my 21st birthday. I went there occasionally to see the girls and get a drink. He offered me a job a few times, but I was raking in money with my hustles at that point, so I never took him up on it."

Nick breathed out, his story told. He looked over to Judy, who, true to her word, had remained completely silent and kept her face impassive. After an uncomfortable amount of time, she spoke.

"Your mother's an amazing person Nick."

"Huh, not the reaction I expected Fluff."

"Well what else can I say? Putting herself through something like that just for you. I can't imagine my mother doing that."

"Well it's not like she had much choice. And besides Fluff, don't underestimate your mother. I mean, she did threaten to skin me if I ever hurt you. Besides, it's not like anyone should have to go through that as some sort of motherhood test."

"Yeah, I guess," Judy said in response. Her head was still reeling from all this. "I guess you try and be kind to the prostitutes we have to take in because of her."

"Yes and no. I mean don't get me wrong I don't exactly think we should legalise the sex trade or anything, though you never know, it might work. I just try to remember that a good chunk of the mammals who find themselves in that situation probably didn't plan on being there, you know? Hell, I'd probably say most of them are victims in one way or another. I try and keep an open mind about that. I even have a keep sake to help me remember that." Nick reached in to his pocket and withdrew a familiar red piece of material, the bandanna that he carried around from his rather traumatic experience at the ranger scouts.

"You ever wonder why I kept this on me? Yes, after that night at the scouts it was so I remember how I'd been treated, at least at first. But the second and main reason was to remember the sacrifices Mom made for me."

"I'm not sure I understand," Judy said.

"Well, although I've never confirmed it, I'm pretty sure I know what Mom had to do to get the cash for the uniform."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I know, what is it with me and keeping holds of reminders from traumatic experiences?" Nick chuckled, pointing to a shelf where they kept items of personal importance. Among the standard pictures, medals and other such mementos, one had pride of place at the centre. The carrot pen. It had brought them together twice, once when Nick was hustled to help a hyperactive rabbit, and the other to re-cement their friendship. Without that pen it was entirely possible they wouldn't have the life they have now.

Judy remained silent, she always thought that she had kept an open mind about mammals, she'd obviously still had her hang-ups. She started to worry about if she was good enough for Nick again.

"Can I ask a question?" Nick said, taking her out of her introspection. Before she could answer, he continued. "How come you never really thought about this before? I mean at the academy when we went through the various case studies on sex crimes, and they did discuss the fact that a lot of the mammals in the sex trade are victims of crime in some cases. Like kids." He paused, shuddering at some of the case studies that they had to consider during the academy. Judy knew the ones he meant, they'd given her a couple of sleepless nights during her own training. They hadn't come across something like that on beat yet, but now they were detectives it was only a matter of time.

"I'll be honest I'm not sure. Maybe I always thought as sex as something special? I don't think I could sell my body like that so I don't understand why others would. Maybe because I never came across it before moving to the city? Who knows?" she answered.

"Huh, so Bunnyburrow doesn't have any prostitutes?" Nick asked.

"Pfft, why would they? There's too many bunnies giving it away for free for anyone to want to pay for it." The statement wasn't that amusing, but for some reason, Nick burst out laughing, Judy watched as he laughed so hard he started gripping his side. It became infectious, and Judy found herself starting to snicker. She tried to fight it, but watching Nick almost fall off his chair in hysterics sent her over the edge. Her laugh grew in volume until it matched his, and she started rolling back on the couch, laying on her back, legs kicking in the air. A sudden thump made her look up and found Nick had indeed fallen off the chair. The two stared at each other and the laughter resumed in earnest. Before it overtook her completely, she joined Nick on the floor and they latched on to each other for support. Eventually, they settled down breathing hard and just held each other, just glad to be in one another's company.

"I'm sorry," Judy said, a slight tremor in her voice as she was trying not to cry. "I never meant to insinuate anything about you mom, you know that right?"

"Yeah Carrots I know, it's just a bit of a touchy subject."

"It's fine."

"No, it isn't. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"I started it."

"No, I did by not telling you what was going on."

"But I was pressing you too hard Nick."

"It's my fault."

"No it's mine."

"No, mine!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!

"Oh for…we sound like the goddamn seagulls from Finding Nemo!" Nick said, which caused another round of raucous laughter, though it didn't last as long as the previous session.

"Forgive me?" Judy asked once she was sure she wasn't going to have another laughing fit.

"Yes. Forgive me?" Nick asked in kind.

"Of course," she said snuggling in to his fur. "Oh my God I am so tired right now."

"Me too Fluff, what time is it?" Nick asked looking over to the clock in their living room. "Oh for…It's only four o'clock in the afternoon."

"Really, feels like it should be later. How about we take a nap? I'm going to need you awake later"

"Huh, why?" Nick asked confused. "We got plans?"

"Well I never did give you that show I promised…"

* * *

The next day the two awoke late due to the mental exhaustion of their conversation, and then the _physical_ exhaustion of their marathon lovemaking session. Before leaving Judy promised Nick she'd try and be a little more open-minded in regards to their case and who they may have to talk to. Nick said that he knew Judy wouldn't have let her opinions cloud her judgement, but she said she had to prove it to herself.

They managed to make it to the precinct just before eight, walking hand in hand to the offices. Vines saw them and nodded. He'd said all he needed to the day before. The partners made their way to their desks and started filtering through the files from yesterday again. A cough to their side made them turn, to see Fred Porklon standing there, somewhat flustered.

"Uhm, Detective Wilde? I would like to apologise for my behaviour over the last few days. It was unprofessional and ignorant of me to denigrate your race in such a fashion. I hope that we can put that nasty business behind us and continue to have a professional working relationship." He then turned to Judy. "I apologise for making those comments about your fiancé and inferring that you were not intelligent enough to spot a scam, and for assuming that your relationship is anything but genuine."

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Nick just laughed out loud, not being able to handle the prepared speech. "Vines got you on a final warning I take it?" he asked and Judy saw Fred nod in the affirmative. "Tell you what, how about we just stay out of each other's way for now? I doubt either of us can be bothered with putting on a show of friendship for him? Deal?" Porklon stood there impassive, and simply nodded again. He turned to Judy obviously expecting a similar answer.

"Just so we're clear, _I_ still want to kick your teeth in, for now at least," she said and returned to her work. Porklon gulped and returned to his desk. A cough from across the room caused Judy look up and saw Vines had been watching the entire exchange. He had a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He seemed to accept professional coldness over outright hostility and returned to his office.

While Judy and Nick continued searching through the files for the next hour, the other detectives went about their own work. Dobby and Porklon left after Fred received a phone call. Carrot and Cheery came in for a few minutes before heading out again, while Vines left to discuss some administration issue with Bogo. Eventually, Judy let out a frustrated sigh causing the last remaining detectives Angua and Sally, to turn to her. "Sorry! It's just we're getting nowhere with these files. I've gone through these so many times and not found anything matching our Jane Doe. If this takes much longer we're going to have to start asking for information from the public." She cringed at the thought, as every time she'd known that to happen you usually got about a thousand calls from various mammals offering to provide information for a price, them being reminded that withholding information from the police was a crime, and then it turns out they know sod all anyway.

"It's OK Hopps," Angua said, walking up to her. She looked at Judy's computer screen over the smaller mammal's shoulder. "Anything we can help with? Waiting on some lab results on one of our cases now, so we're at a bit of a loose end." A sudden flap of leather and a bark of surprise from Nick indicated Sally had joined them by dropping from the ceiling.

"I don't think so," Nick said leaning back in his chair, trying to show an air of ease after the scare Sally had given him. "We're just going through these files from the Inferno strip club. Our girl had a business card on her, so we're thinking she may have been an employee, but so far nothing."

"Who says she was an employee? Maybe she was a customer?" Sally said glancing at Nick's screen.

"I guess," Nick considered. "But the card had the owner's office number on there, they have a general customer line for other stuff. So, it's not normally something he hands out to just anyone."

"You never said that before," Judy interjected, surprised Nick hadn't mentioned it.

"Ah crap, sorry Carrots. I guess it slipped my mind after everything," Nick replied apologetically. "Won't happen again."

"It's OK, but it does at least support our theory," she said, though sighed after it. "Or the vague outline of one we have anyway. We're still waiting on our own lab reports, so we got nothing else to work on. Hell, we still don't know the cause of death."

"Yeah, we're kind of at the same place," Sally said jumping to the floor and walked past Judy to the coffee maker at the other end of the room. "Don't worry, you'll probably go down about fifty dead ends before finding the one thread that leads to another fifty and so on and so forth until you figure it out. Just be patient. Hey, is there any French vanilla left?" she asked as she searched the counter.

"Yeah should be plenty, despite Hopps and Wilde's best efforts yesterday," Angua said smirking.

"Please just call us Nick and Judy," Judy said warming to the pair. "Sorry about the coffee, I'll replace it."

"Don't worry, Vines is the one who gets it, and he won't accept payment. Trust us, we tried," Sally said as the coffee maker bubbled. "He acts scary…and he is. But he takes care of his detectives."

"I like him," Nick said, causing Judy to stare at him. While Nick acted cordially with everyone, it usually took him a week or two to opine on a new acquaintance. "What Fluff? I appreciate someone who doesn't bullshit me. Though it helps if they're a sexy bunny."

"Tch tch, sexual harassment in the workplace," Sally said in mock disapproval. Angua just rolled her eyes.

"I'll make him pay for it later," Judy said, smiling.

"Long as you give me the dirty details afterwards," Sally giggled, causing Judy to blush. She was starting to like Angua and Sally a lot. Sally was just fun, and Angua seemed very serious and resigned but still friendly. Arguably that shouldn't work, but the two seemed to have a good dynamic.

A ringing from her desk phone snapped Judy out of her embarrassment. She picked up the receiver. "Detective Hopps," she said, grinning at the first use of her title over the phone.

"Hey Judy!" the cheery voice of Clawhauser answered. "Your ten o'clock appointment is here!"

"My what?" Judy said, confused.

"Remember yesterday I got a call from someone wanting to help you with the case?"

"Oh God I completely forgot, sorry Ben! Uhm…did you get a name?"

"Yeah, it's Ms. Katherine Hase. Shall I send her up?"

"No no, we'll be right down! Thanks Ben!" Judy said as she hung up. "C'mon Nick, we got a potential witness downstairs!"

"See? Told you to be patient," Sally said, raising her cup.

"Thanks guys, gotta go!" Judy shouted as she sprinted out of the room followed by Nick. She managed to compose herself before she got to the stairs, allowing her fiancé to catch up. They made their way down to the front desk and found Clawhauser giving a lecture on the history of Gazelle to a stunned female rabbit, who was dressed in simple white t-shirt and black jeans, and carrying a small handbag. Something about her seemed familiar, but Judy couldn't place where she'd met a rabbit who was completely grey from head to toe and had light blue eyes

"Ms. Hase?" Judy said stepping forward. "I'm Detective Judy Hopps, and this is Detective Wilde, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Uhm…we've met before," the doe replied, and Judy saw her ears turning red.

"We have?" Judy asked, turning to Nick, who shrugged in response. "I', sorry but I can't remember when we've met before."

"It was a couple of days ago…" the rabbit replied her blush now starting to be visible through her fur. Judy squinted slightly in concertation, still not recognising the bunny. She turned to Nick again, who shrugged even more emphatically.

"Perhaps this will help," Ms. Hase said and turned away from Judy, fumbling in her handbag. She brought out a pair of contact lenses that were coloured red. After a few seconds, she placed them in her eyes and turned to Judy.

Her eyes were now the exact same colour as Judy's.

It was Judy's turn to start blushing profusely. The only time she'd ever seen a rabbit with the same eye colour as here was at the strip club.

"Lewdy…" she said under her breath.

"What did she say?" Clawhauser asked.

"I'll tell you later Ben," Nick chuckled, but Judy turned to him, her face managing to indicate if Nick didn't shut up _right now_ , it was the couch again tonight. "On second thought, no. No I won't."


	7. Lewd's Clues

Judy's first instinct was to head back up to the detective office, go in to a spare room, and scream in to a wall. After Nick's comment to Clawhauser, her second was to eviscerate her mate and strangle him with his own intestines. The third was to then shoot herself if she did the second. The fourth was to turn the gun on her impostor before doing the third.

Eventually, she took a breath and turned to Nick. "Nick, could you continue going through the files? I'll interview Ms. Hase."

"Uh Is that good idea?" Nick asked, slightly concerned for the other rabbit's safety.

"If some fox wants to sleep in a bed tonight it is," Judy replied coldly.

"Uh right so I'll just do that," Nick said before reaching out a paw to the somewhat frightened Ms. Hase. "A pleasure to meet you," he said, before withdrawing himself from the group.

A few seconds went by as Judy sized up her doppelganger. In truth, she found the stripper less intimidating in public, while she was the same size as Judy and had an athletic frame, Judy could tell she didn't have much in the way of muscles. _I could take her easy,_ she thought before taking another breath.

"I just have one request and one question Mr. Hase."

"Yes?" the doe replied timidly.

"The request is that you remove those contacts, they're freaking me out. As for the question…Would you like to get a coffee and something to eat?"

* * *

Judy watched as the Ms. Hase sat in front of her, still acting rather diffidently. She had a hard time thinking of the rabbit across from her as the one who was strutting and showing her stuff to dozens of horny mammals only days prior. Still, she'd already gotten in trouble with Nick for pre-judging the rabbit, so she was going to do her best to keep things cordial.

A blonde bear waitress bustled up with their orders. Judy having gone for a breakfast omelette while Ms. Hase had gone for a bagel. She'd try to offer Judy money for the meal, but she had refused. She had brought the doe to the Baloo's Diner, which was situated around the corner from Precinct One. Judy liked it here, the food was good, the prices decent, and the coffee was excellent. Baloo was an energetic and friendly sloth bear who was an ex-cop, specifically a retired chopper pilot. He started the diner after a bullet shattered his left knee cap before Judy joined the force, making him unable to do the job he loved. Still wanting to be involved with his former colleagues, he set up the diner with the express purpose of providing decent cheap food for them. A few of them sat around now, along with a multitude of civilians. The police mammals giving Judy amicable waves of their when they could turn away from their own conversations for a second or two.

"Thanks Molly," Judy said as she took the food and coffee offered by Baloo's daughter. "How's your mom and brother?"

"Mom's doing fine, she just got promoted to COO at PredEx. Kit's almost through with his pilot lessons too."

"Glad to hear, tell them I said hi when you see them," Judy said as Molly went to help another customer. She turned back to the doe sat across from her, "So, Ms. Hase…"

"Call me Kate please," her dining companion said.

"Fine, Kate," Judy said, easing in to the name. "Let's address the elephant in the room…"

"What do you want Hopps?" a shout rang out from an elephant officer who was just leaving the diner.

"Not everything's about you Francine!" Judy shouted back, glad that the elephant was leaving. She'd hope the bustle of the diner would cover their conversation as well as make Kate more comfortable, but Francine could hear a pin drop on a construction site. Luckily, she managed to snag a corner booth so the other mammals wouldn't hear the conversation.

"Anyway!" Judy exclaimed turning back Kate. "I have to ask, why on earth do you do a strip show where you dress up me?"

"Well technically it's not you, it's 'Lewdy Hopps!" Kate replied nervously. Judy just stared at the panicking rabbit, and raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "It's not illegal!" Kate shot back.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I'm a detective, not a copyright or trademark lawyer. But that still doesn't answer my question."

Kate sighed. "I'm sorry…" she said, tearing up.

"I'm not angry," Judy lied. "I just want to understand."

"Well, you must know what an inspiration to other rabbits you are right?"

"I've been told yes," Judy said leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. She was constantly being told by young kits how they were inspired by her to become whatever they wanted and challenge roles they found themselves pigeonholed in to. She appreciated it, but after the three hundredth time she found it a little bit irritating. Still she never showed that annoyance to the young kits, not wanting to give the wrong impression.

"Well I'm one of them."

"I inspired you to be a stripper?" Judy asked, starting to reconsider a recent offer to speak at a high school.

"NO! I mean…I want to be a police officer," Kate replied. Judy was taken aback by this, she knew some other smaller mammals were now in the ZPD academy but as far as she was aware no other bunnies had applied. She fought down a swell of pride for the lagomorph species since she was supposed to be mad at Kate.

"Not seeing how this leads to stripping while pretending to be me."

"Well you know how expensive college is. I don't know how you managed to afford it."

"I was lucky, managed to get a scholarship under the Mammal Inclusion Initiative before applying for the ZPD academy."

"Exactly!" Kate exclaimed. "Ever since Lionheart was put in prison, the M.I.M. got a hell of a lot of political backlash, so they pulled any future scholarship applications last year until the backlash dies down. I was hoping to apply but with no idea on how long until the scholarships would be available again, or even if they would, I had to earn money. My family live in Zootopia and is small, I'm the oldest of only four kits, so at least we don't have the mouths to feed, but my parents can't afford to finance me."

"How old are you exactly?" Judy asked, her eyebrow raising again.

"Eighteen, so it's legal," Kate replied, obviously knowing where Judy was going with the conversation.

"Doesn't it get, you know, a little scary?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well I can tell you're not shy," Judy replied smirking a little. "At least in one way, but doesn't it get a little dangerous at times? Nick and I had to arrest a bison the other night."

"Yeah that sometimes happens, but not very often. Harry makes sure the security keeps an eye on us. Especially Luther."

"So, nothing's ever happened to you?

"Well…there was one time where this middle-aged hare got a little too hands on," Kate said. "Luther throws someone out the second the break the rules, no warnings or anything. But this guy didn't get the message you know? So, after closing I head out the front and this guy is waiting there for me, he seemed determined. I told him no but he became really aggressive. And that's when Luther and Harry walked out."

"What happened?"

"Luther grabbed the guy's arm and locked it behind his back and walked him back in to the club. Then Harry called me a cab and paid for it, then told me to take the next night off, I'd still get the normal pay."

"What happened to the guy?"

"Honestly? I don't know, but I haven't seen him at the club since then. Luther was wearing a brace on his wrist for a few days afterwards though. Harry said he'd hurt himself working overtime…or was it working someone over for a long time? Well whatever, he said they didn't kill him."

"That seems…oddly specific."

"Yeah, made me feel safe though."

"So, the stripping was a way to earn money for college?" Judy asked, changing the subject, having a feeling it was probably best not to dig too much in to the 'not murder' of a hare right now.

"Yep! It pays really well and I did gymnastics at school, came in real handy."

"And the dressing up as me?"

"Hum well, one time I did a routine in a police uniform…and people really liked it. I heard some say they wish it was you up there…"

"What!?"

"Judy, I find it hard to believe you don't know this. You're one of the most famous rabbits in the city. People find that attractive. Or maybe it just some guys thinking they'd like to be able to get with you? I dunno, point is, when I heard that I kinda came up with the idea of the contact lenses and using white fur paint to make me look like you…and well I got almost $300 in tips on my first night! Hell, most of them weren't even from rabbits."

"Jesus."

"Yeah, a lot of people are probably jealous of your fiancé. Congrats by the way."

"Thanks," Judy said automatically, her brain still trying to come to terms with what the young doe had been telling her.

"Here's a tip, don't do a Zoogle image search of yourself with safe search turned off."

"I'll keep that in mind," Judy replied, though she somehow doubted she'd be able to stop herself now. She started rubbing her forehead as she tried to take in what the doe was saying.

"I'm really sorry…" Kate said. Judy raised a finger to stop her and then looked her in the eye. She started silently for a few moments before finally saying "It's fine."

"What, really?" Kate asked, shocked at the statement.

"Well I can't say I'm 100% happy with it, but it's not like I can force you to stop, plus at least the money's going to a good cause."

"I can stop if you want…"

"Not if it's getting you enough cash to get to college you won't," Judy said. She'd decided that if this is what doe needed to do to follow her dream, and get another bunny on the force, well she couldn't stand in the way of that. "If you want I can give you my email address so if you have any questions I can try and help you."

"Really!?" Kate screeched in excitement, causing Judy to wince.

"Just don't go overboard," Judy warned. "I'm gonna be working on cases so I won't be able to respond right away"

"OK I understand, but thank you so much!" Kate said, her excitement becoming more controlled.

"Speaking of cases, I was told that you had information pertaining to the case? Was that true? Because wasting police time is a serious offence."

"Oh uhm, well…" Kate stuttered, answering Judy's question. Judy sighed, wondering for a second if she should arrest the doe. She decided against it.

"You know what? Forget it, you're not getting my email now," Judy said as she went to stand, deciding to get back to Nick and see if he had found anything from Inferno's employment records. Before she could exit the booth, Kate placed a paw on hers.

"No wait please!" Kate pleaded, tears in her eyes, apparently despairing that the rabbit who had inspired her would want nothing to do with her. "Harry said you're looking for a potential employee of his right? I've worked there for six months and I've met a lot of the girls! Some don't last more than a couple of weeks! I might be able to help!"

Judy considered Kate's sincerity, when the other rabbit used a trick that she had used on Nick. Kate's bottom lip stuck out and trembled slightly, her ears drooped behind her head and her eyes went wide. Judy tried to look away, but she knew it was useless. Nick always faltered under the same stare, and plenty of her siblings had used it on her before she moved to Zootopia. She sighed and sat back down. "Fine," she said and withdrew the picture of the Jane Doe from her jacket and handed it to Kate.

"You know," Kate said cupping her chin in her hand. "She does look familiar…" the rabbit became contemplative, her forehead wrinkling in concentration. "Yeah, I remember!" she yelled, causing several mammals in the diner to look over. "She came in about two weeks ago today, she asked me if there was anyone she could talk to about getting a job. She said she heard Harry was kind to working girls…"

"She was a prostitute?", Judy said, withdrawing a notepad and writing down Kate's word.

"I assumed," Kate replied, shrugging. "Anyway, I directed her to Luther, who took her up to see Harry. After about five minutes later she came storming out of the office yelling back to Harry and Luther. I was getting ready for my set and the music was loud, so I couldn't really make out what she was saying, but she did not look happy."

"This is great!" Judy said. "Can you remember anything else?"

"No sorry," Kate said sadly.

"That OK, this actually helps us a quite a lot Kate. Thank you!" She hurriedly scribbled down her email for the doe, forgetting her earlier annoyance.

"Is there anything else I can help with before you go?" Kate asked as Judy paid their bill. Judy paused, while she had everything useful about the case from the doe, there was one thing about the night at the club that had been playing on her mind that might be suitable apology for Nick.

"Maybe…" she said hesitantly. She looked around to see if there were any other mammals with particularly good hearing around. Satisfied, she beckoned the young bunny closer so she could whisper in to her ear _. "Can you teach me some of your moves?"_

* * *

"For God's sake Nick, what time do you call this?" the arctic fox growled as he was brought in to an interview room, carrying a cup of coffee that seemed far too big for him, but was being consumed at an alarming rate.

"It's just gone noon Harry," Nick replied, sitting down at the table across from his friend.

"Exactly! What kind of time is that for a sensible mammal to be up I ask you?"

"Well maybe we wouldn't have to if we weren't investigating a mysterious death," Judy said, closing the door behind her. "Especially when a mammal possibly lies to us."

"Excuse me?" Harry replied, turning to Judy. "I may be a lot of things, but I'm not a liar!"

"It's true Carrots, he may be a fox but he's one of the most honest mammals I know," Nick said, winking at his partner. At that Harry turned to the fox, then back to Judy. "Really Nick? You're doing good cop bad cop? To me? I'm offended."

"In his defence, it was my idea," Judy said as she sat down and smirked at Harry. "Figured you'd see through it."

"Yes yes very drole," Harry grumbled. "So, what's this about me being a liar?"

"You said you didn't recognise the girl we showed you, but we have a witness that states you interviewed her two weeks ago about a job."

"Detective Hopps, I interview a lot of mammals about jobs, I can't remember them all. Simple as that. If you could give me some more details, I'll gladly help."

"I thought as much Harry," Judy said replied. "Nick's a good judge of character, but I have to treat everyone the same in an investigation like this. No offence was meant at the suggestion of lying."

"None taken. Though I am offended at being dragged out of bed at this ungodly hour."

"So, now we've gotten that out of the way, "Nick said changing the subject with his usual tact, "Could you look at the girl's photo again?" Nick slid the photo across to Harry who took it and studied it for some time.

"I honestly can't really recall, however," he added as Judy and Nick went to question further. "If she was in my office, or in the club at all, she should be on our security cameras. If it'll help we could take a look at them," he said, then glanced at his watch. "That'll mean waking Luther up though, which should be an adventure."

"Why do you need him there?" Judy asked, not really wanting to be in the same room as the badger after he had embarrassed her the other night.

"He set up the security system so he'll be able to find what you're looking for far easier than me, unless you want to watch me spend two hours trying to remember my password, locking myself out, and then having to call him anyway," Harry answered.

"Admit it, you just like having him around," Nick said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah Nick, just because I'm gay doesn't mean Luther is. Even if he was I'd rather put my genitals in a vice than imagine what he'd do to them." Harry coughed before continuing, "He does have a nice arse though."

The group then left the offices and made their way to Inferno, Harry calling Luther on the way. After mumbled threats of violence, Luther agreed to meet them at the club as he lived a short walk from it. After the detectives and helpful citizen had parked and made their way to the entrance, Luther turned the corner. He grumbled vague threats before following the group inside.

The next few hours were spent going through the club security footage. Kate only specified a rough time frame and not a date, meaning they were looking at multiple days of security footage. Luckily, they knew they just had to keep an eye on the video for Harry's office for the most part and could fast forward until someone came in, rather than having to look at the footage in real time. It still took almost three hours as Harry saw a lot of people in his office quite often. Fortunately, the footage was in high definition and colour which made identifying potential candidates for the Jane Doe easier. There was no sound however so if anyone gave their name they wouldn't know it.

"I think I got her!" Nick said, pointing at the screen. The others gathered around the monitor and watched as Nick pressed played. It did seem to be the wolf they were looking for. They watched as the wolf was lead in to the office by Luther, who as per his inclination, leaned against the office wall. The girl sat across from Harry and the two chatted convivially…until the girl opened her handbag and produced a small bag of powder. The group watched as Harry stared at the bag, stood up, rushed over to the door and opened it, his stance and gestures indicating that he wanted the wolf out of his office. After a few seconds of animated arguing, including one part where Luther detached himself from the wall and stood next to Harry, the wolf left.

'Oh, _that_ girl," Harry commented.

"Oh so now you recognise her" Judy admonished.

"Detective, I've already said I see a lot of girls every week as you saw, and have to decline a few, so forgive me for not remembering them all. I do recall this particular incident though. The girl seemed like a good candidate for a job, until she brought out that pounce. I want nothing to do with drugs at all, so I curtly asked her to leave."

"Can you remember her name?" Nick asked trying to defuse the situation.

"Honestly? No."

"What about you Luther?" Judy asked the badger, who just shook his head in response.

"Did she leave a resume?" Judy asked, turning to Harry.

"She was discussing being a dancer, I don't ask for references for that job, just that they're able to dance. Also, some of the girls here had previous jobs that were less than legal so I stopped bothering most of the time."

"So, we're pretty much back to square one," Judy groaned sinking in her seat

"Not necessarily Carrots, we have video footage of her last known whereabouts, so now we know the time and date and location, we may be able to track her movements from here," Nick stated. "OK it's going to be a pain in the ass since this is two weeks before she died, but it gives us a lead."

"I guess," Judy sighed.

"No one said being a detective was going to be easy Fluff. You'll just have to be patient…or as patient as you can be anyway."

"I can be plenty patient!" Judy shot back.

"Your foot begs to differ," Nick said, pointing down. Judy's foot had been tapping against the floor for the last few minutes, a sure sign she was getting annoyed, fed up, or impatient. She had tried to control it but she'd done it for so long she barely realised it was happening most of the time.

"As amusing as this lovers spat is, do you need anything else from us?" Harry asked, clearly getting impatient himself.

"Just a copy of the video, if you please," Judy answered, ignoring the jibe. A few minutes later, Luther handed over another USB stick with the video files. Leaving the fox and badger to get ready for that night's opening, Nick and Judy headed back to the precinct to finish up their day's work.

"So, what do you think?" Judy asked Nick as she took the wheel of their car.

"Not really enough to go on, though the drugs do match watch Bill found at the scene. I hate to say it, but we're probably looking at a cliché case of 'hooker overdoses on drugs' here."

"Maybe," Judy said, though she was finding it hard to disagree but she felt something was missing. "Oh shit, did we ever check the Missing Mammals database to see if anyone matching her description was reported missing?"

"You did that yesterday Judy," Nick said reminding her. "Plenty of wolves but no one matching her exactly."

"Oh yeah..." Judy said, remembering her disappointment at that. "You'd think someone would be looking for her."

"Some of these girls left home years ago, others don't want to be found…and more aren't missed. Broken home, abuse, you name it. Not everyone is as loved as Emmett Otterton."

"I know," Judy said remembering their first case again. They occasionally ran in to the Ottertons, who seemed to be doing quite well and she knew Nick always bought her flowers from his shop. "I just feel there's something I'm not doing right here, like I'm missing something that will give us the answers."

"Same here Fluff," Nick said nodding. Judy knew he wasn't lying about his own frustration either. Despite his calm exterior, she had learned to read Nick's emotions with almost 100% accuracy.

"You think I'm cut out for this?" Judy asked seriously. The lack of progress on their case, and the fact they almost lost their new job only days after starting it was weighing on her.

"Far more than I am," Nick answered.

"Really Nick? You're at least doing a good job at pretending not to lose your shit. And you're the one who seems to be catching all the leads."

"Just my colourful past being useful this time around Carrots, plus my expert TV watching skills," he joked. "Stop second guessing yourself Judy, we both know you're the better mammal in this partnership."

"You mean better cop?"

"Better everything," Nick replied smiling back. "Well except in the looks department, you're a close second there." The comment caused Judy to snort and shake her head, thankful for Nick being…well Nick.

They arrived back at the precinct a few minutes later, with just under an hour left until their shift ended. The long review of the security footage having taken its toll made them decide to skip on overtime that night. As they arrived in the office, they found most of the other detectives had returned, though Vines was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Carrot," Nick said causing Judy to turn to him. Nick realised the confusion. " _Carrot_ , not _Carrots_ , Carrots," he clarified…or tried to. "Is the Captain around, we wanna give him an update on our case before heading home."

"He left early to do some toy shopping for his son," the red bovine replied. "Oh, speaking of which, Bill came up earlier to give you the autopsy report, it's on your desk. He said you better look at it ASAP."

"Thanks sir," Judy replied to her superior. She dashed over to her desk and grabbed the report and started reading it. Before long she let out a confused "What?" She looked up to Nick who had just been waiting her to finish reading so she could share the details, but he became confused himself by the outburst. "So, looks like we're not getting a cliché overdose death after all," she said, handing the report to Nick. She pointed to the 'cause of death' section. Nick read it and looked up.

"Arsenic poisoning? Seriously?"

"Looks like it," Judy said confidently, but was equally confused by the revelation. Arsenic wasn't illegal to buy, but it was mostly used by laboratories and chemical plants, it wasn't something someone just had lying around. It was famously used as poison (and make up) centuries ago, which is why it's sale was monitored.

"What did someone read a novel by Stagatha Christie? When the hell did someone last die of arsenic poisoning?"

"I assume by your flippant comment you're thinking what I'm thinking?" Judy said.

"That we're looking at a murder?"

"Yes," Judy said confidently. "Which means…"

"We're putting in overtime again tonight," Nick finished, resigned to the inevitable. Judy had the spark in her eyes that she got whenever a great injustice had been done, and to her there was no greater injustice than taking a life.

"I'll make you a deal," Judy said, a seductive smile adoring her features, thinking about her conversation with Kate. "At the end of this case there might be something worth all the extra work."

"Really" Nick asked, smiling back at his partner. "Can I get a clue?"

"Get the coffee in and I'll think about it.," she answered, returning the smile. Nick chuckled and set off to make up a batch of coffee for them. While she waited, wanting to get caffeine in her before putting serious work in, she remembered something Kate had said about Zoogling images of herself. She typed her name into her phone, but returned nothing of note. She then remembered about turning safe search off.

Seconds later, Nick yelped as Judy's phone smashed in to the wall behind him.


	8. Walk and Talk

Four days had passed as Nick and Judy started tracking the Jane Doe's movements through the city from the night she was seen at the club. Half of those days had been spent in the detective office, going through dozens of security camera reports from the city. Technically they didn't have to do this and could get someone at the Zootopian Department of Transportation to help, but with little else concrete to go on at the moment, they decided to handle it themselves. After Friday had rolled around, Judy was still determined to look further, but let Nick persuade her into actually taking their weekend break. She found it hard to relax, but with encouragement, she at least managed to catch up on the sleep they'd lost during the week, something Nick relished as he even slept for fourteen hours at one point.

This was fine with Judy, as it gave her ample time to sneak out and meet with Kate and pick up a new phone. Luckily, she'd gotten insurance for it last year after having to fork out for a new one after kicking a tiger in the face. It had already paid for itself thrice over and all her photos were saved to the cloud, so she still had everything in it.

Including her search history.

Blanching at the history when she first got it back, she did decide to try something else: she searched for Nick. While not as much of the same stuff she had found of herself, there was still a surprising amount of artwork, including a lot that featured them as a couple. For some reason, she found these ones more acceptable than the solo pictures she had seen, even saving a few for later study. Maybe it was because she liked that others appreciated their relationship, even if it was in a rather risqué way.

Or maybe she was just a pervert.

Turning her mind back to the task at hand, she glanced across the street from the wall she was leaning against. Nick stood conversing with a few prostitutes, something that they'd been doing for the last few hours. It was also a task she was struggling with. She knew Nick well enough now to know his eye never wandered, but that didn't stop her wanting to go over and start throwing punches every time one of the girls tried to solicit him. She'd seen Nick have very severe looks on his face whenever a male bunny came up to her, but like everything else, he always managed to recover and keep his urges locked down. She really wished she was able to do that and not wear her emotions on her sleeves so much.

Yesterday after returning to work, the partners felt they had finally gleaned enough information from the traffic cameras to narrow down an area where their victim, if not lived, frequented quite a bit. It was still an eight-block radius, but it meant they could start asking mammals if they had seen their Jane Doe. Nick suggested they start walking the area at midnight, which had been three hours ago, mainly because that was when there would be plenty of other 'working girls' available to question in the area. Judy agreed, though somewhat uncomfortably. It made sense, and well, if she was going to get over her hang-ups, she'd need to do so. Still, they had agreed to let Nick do the talking, as they were far more likely to talk to him. She, meanwhile, played lookout, keeping an eye on her partner.

This did mean she have to hang out in an area of the city that, if she had any choice in the matter, she'd avoid. Not just for the weather, where the runoff from the nearby Rainforest District kept her feet nice and wet. The area was known for its large amounts of low income housing due to the constant moisture and the wear and tear it took on the buildings. This low-cost housing attracted criminals who set up shop in the cheap run-down tenements. The citizens here, mostly low-income families, tried their best to avoid it, but a combination of lack of societal advancement, shitty schools, and absentee parents (due to work or addictions) caused crimes rates in this part of the city to skyrocket. Gang crime especially was a real problem; many of the teenage kits saw that only gang members seemed to make any sort of headway, seducing them to that kind of lifestyle. Judy had put away plenty of mammals from the Fangs, the Black Sheep, the Ghetto Bunnies and a whole host of other gang members during her time on the streets and had come to understand that while their crimes were heinous, they had their reasons for doing what they did. Whether it was just to not starve, try and take control of their lives, or simply to stick it to the society they thought had failed them.

So why was she having such a hard time coming to terms with the prostitutes? She was beginning to, as Nick's revelation was enlightening, but changing views that have been held for a lifetime was hard, harder than dismissing her misconceptions about foxes. But then again, all that had taken was almost losing the best friend she ever had, someone who she now couldn't live without. This? She had no personal stake in it.

 _Well, that isn't exactly true now, is it?_ Her brain cut in. _You know what happened to his mother had some part in making Nick…Nick. So, do it for him. Again._

She sighed, but smiled. That dumb fox had started out wanting to become a better mammal for her, but she found herself becoming a better mammal thanks to him. She glanced up as he chatted convivially with an otter girl. He seemed perfectly at ease…until she brushed up against him.

Judy bristled. _Then again,_ _just because you're trying to understand these girls doesn't mean you can't go over there and drop kick her._

The debate on her next course of action was halted when a paw slapped the wall she was leaning against. A white teenaged rabbit in blue jeans, a white vest and a leather jacket was now also leaning on the wall, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes at him and asked, "What?"

The buck was somewhat taken aback by the gruff question, but he persevered. "So how much?"

"Excuse me?"

"How much for a session babe?" Judy stared incredulously at him, the utter ridiculousness of the situation threatening to cause her to start laughing out loud. She managed to keep it to a snort and a smile, which still caused the buck to get visibly annoyed.

"Kid, just walk away. I'm not a prostitute."

"Oh, so you're saying I can get it for free?"

Judy had to give the buck credit, he certainly wasn't lacking in confidence. "I'm saying leave. Now."

"Oooh, a girl with spunk…or at least who will get some."

"Huh, no wonder you have to pay for it with lines like that," Judy said, unable to stop herself.

"What did you say to me?" he said through gritted teeth. Judy sighed, and suddenly grabbed the buck's outstretched arm and pulled him towards her. She spun around, bringing his arm behind his back and pushed. The buck screamed in pain.

"Listen kid, next time a girl says no, take the hint," she warned as she applied more pressure. The buck screamed again.

"Oh Carrots, I can't take you anywhere can I?" Nick said, wandering from the other side of the street.

"Maybe if the company was more pleasant I wouldn't have to make my own entertainment," Judy said, applying even more pressure to her captive. After a few seconds, she released the buck and shoved him aside. "Go on, get out of here you idiot," she shouted after him as he ran off.

"Being lenient with him? A few weeks ago you would have ran him in," Nick commented, raising an eyebrow.

"We got more important crimes to be investigating than running in a horny bunny with good taste," Judy said smiling.

"Yeah, I'll give you that," Nick replied, smiling back and waggling his eyebrows.

"So, any leads this time, or you about ready to call it a night?" Judy asked. They'd been at this for hours, and while she and Nick had been willing to put in the night-time hours lately, it was starting to take its toll. Nick found it slightly easier, being naturally nocturnal and all, but even he was starting to feel it.

"Some said they might have recognised her from another corner on the next block. Guess we should head there next."

"I guess," Judy sighed. She was tired but they couldn't let the lead go just yet. Nick said they'd best do it all in one night if possible. Prostitutes didn't stick to a schedule, so if they found anything they'd best do it there and then.

The two set off down the street towards the next block, Judy keeping an eye out as various mammals gave the partners glances. Some were of thankful recognition, some were of resentment, and others slunk away as they approached. Despite progress made in the last few years it was still rare to see a bunny and fox together as friends, never mind of differing gender, so they were pretty much famous and infamous among the citizens. It was far more pronounced here though, in the most crime-ridden part of the city. Judy felt no fear as such, but she was always on guard in places like this. She turned to Nick who, as always, wore a smile of complete comfort. What struck Judy as odd though was that while in some areas of the city Nick wore this expression as a façade, here she could tell he was completely at ease.

"You spent a lot of time in places like this, didn't you?" Judy asked, knowing the answer. Nick never kept secrets from her, but she had to carefully pull at the threads of his former life. She was also being extra careful, not wanting a repeat incident of the recent revelation of his mother's past.

"That obvious huh, Carrots?" Nick said.

"You just seem so at ease."

"I'm just used to places like this Fluff, you know I did plenty of 'not quite legal' activities. Lot of mammals I worked with lived or operated in places like this."

"Including your mom?" Judy probed, but wished she hadn't. The question had just slipped out. This was neither the time nor place to ask questions like this. Ever since learning more of Nick's story she just wanted to ask more questions and get a better understanding.

"Judy, I wasn't even ten years old when that stuff happened. Prostitutes don't take their kids with them to work…or at least the ones with an iota of common sense don't. Not exactly a great sales pitch." The comment caught Judy completely off guard and she snorted a laugh before quickly covering her mouth, horror and embarrassment showing on her face. "It's OK Judy, I make jokes to make shit like this easier to deal with."

This was true; Nick made jokes in pretty much all situations, and while they weren't all winners, some were just so ridiculously grim she couldn't help but laugh. _What was that one he made when we had to go to that domestic disturbance at the apartment complex when a wife got caught cheating on her husband and the 'other mammal', who just happened to be an elephant, got pushed out the 15_ _th_ _story window? "Well, I guess you could say he really_ fell _for her." That was so awful. Stopped me vomiting at the mess though._

"You never made jokes like that with me before," Judy said out loud.

"Well, you didn't know before," Nick replied.

"Fair point," Judy reasoned. "So, is that where you started meeting prostitutes?"

"You say it like I used their services. Jealous?"

"Maybe…"

"Seriously Fluff?"

"No, of course not Slick," she said, wrapping her arms around his right arm as they walked. "I know you're a one doe kind of tod. I'm just curious is all. How'd you get to talking to them?"

"Well, I started by trying to con one, truth be told," Nick began. "Yvonne was her name; she was a leopard. Tried some low-level con on her, can't quite remember what it was though. I put on what I thought at the time were my best moves and she saw right through me and laughed. Gave me the cash anyway and told me 'you better get something to eat if you're hungry enough to try that scat on me.' I really appreciated that. Ended up making friends with her… _just_ friends Judy, before you ask. After I got better at hustles we ended up hanging out. She introduced me to a few of her friends and it just got comfortable. We were all mammals skirting the law so there was a sense of camaraderie I hadn't expected, what with being a fox and all. We kept an eye on each other, you know? I helped her out of situations where a male mammal might be useful, and she pointed out marks for me."

"That sounds kind of sweet actually. She still around?" Just asked innocently, always willing to give anyone who knew Nick a chance.

"No, she died about two years before I met you," Nick said, a grim look on his face. The flat statement of fact tied a knot in Judy's stomach. "She got into a fight with a client. Got pushed into traffic. Didn't survive."

"God…"

"Yeah. Oh, the best part was that the guy who pushed her got a ten-month sentence for mammal-slaughter. Bastard. Last I heard he moved away because his wife divorced him." Nick sighed, shaking his head. "Felt sorry for the poor ewe who was driving the car. Not her fault of course, but she's going to have to live with it for the rest of her life."

Judy just nodded. Accidental deaths happened every day in the city, sometimes for no other reason than a moment's inattention from a larger mammal placing a hoof or paw somewhere that was occupied by a smaller mammal. This was largely the reason Little Rodentia existed, so that the rodent population could at least live and work somewhere where the possibility of being crushed was fairly remote. Didn't stop it from happening completely though; she and Nick had seen the results of a polar bear stepping without paying attention, scraping the resulting gore off her foot so hard in panic she'd almost carved down to the bone.

"It was a tough life," Nick said, bringing Judy back to reality. "But not like I can do anything about it now, except try my best to bring justice to those who don't get enough of it."

"You're really taking this case to heart aren't you," Judy said. It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact.

"Twice in one conversation I have to ask if it's that obvious? You're on fire today Hun. Yeah, I don't know, the type of mammals who end up having to do stuff like this for a living have usually had life shit on them plenty. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a sexy rabbit kick them back into shape." Nick gave Judy a quick kiss on the tip of her ear, something that always gave her a slight shiver of pleasure. "Besides, I still know a few mammals around here. Haven't met any of them yet, but it'd be kinda cool to catch up."

"Speaking of mammals we know," Judy said, pointing ahead as they reached the corner of the next block and grinning as she did so. Nick looked and saw what had her so amused. Right up ahead, talking to a tall, dolled up panther under the light of a lamppost, was the duke of bootleg himself, Duke Weaselton. They couldn't hear the conversation, but it was rather animated, Duke flailing his limbs wildly while the panther looked disinterested.

"Wanna bet he's trying to haggle a lower price for services to be rendered?" Nick remarked.

"Oh like that's a bet," Judy said as they continued watching the panther become more visibly agitated. "How would that work exactly? I mean, he barely comes up to her waist."

"Really Carrots? You're asking how two mammals of different sizes can enjoy each other?" Nick asked, smiling down at his fiancée.

As the blush started to show in her ears, Judy cleared her throat to respond. "Well, firstly we're not that much of an extreme size difference as they are," "she said, pointing to the now unreservedly arguing mammals. "Second, while you're far bigger than most bunnies can handle," she continued, watching Nick's smile grow as she stroked his ego, "I doubt she would even feel him touch the sides."

"Wouldn't surprise me if Duke had that problem with mice, never mind panthers," Nick commented, causing Judy to laugh out loud. "Hmm, seems to be getting a bit heated over there Carrots. Reckon we should intervene?" Judy nodded in response, and the partners made their way across the street. As they approached, the argument between Weaselton and the panther became audible.

"Look doll face, I'm just saying you could take what I'm offering. Not like you have much of a choice…" Weaselton said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, must be like a hotdog down a hallway there…"

"Is this mammal bothering you ma'am?" Judy asked, distracting the panther from imminent murder. Duke turned at the voice and groaned.

"Hey Duke, how ya been?!" Judy said, grinning evilly.

"Oh uh, just fine officer…" Weaselton replied.

"Detective."

"Detective, yeah right. Just, you know, talking with my good friend Sarah."

"Sandra," the panther cut in.

"Yeah Barbra, just, you know, catching up on our school days. Hey Sasha, remember when we did that thing? Ah, good times ey' Samantha?

"Duke?" Judy interrupted.

"Yes Offic…Detective?"

"Fuck off will ya?"

"Yes ma'am, fucking off right now!" Weaselton exclaimed, throwing a mock salute before running off around the corner.

"Thanks for that," Sandra said, smiling at the couple.

"No thanks are necessary ma'am. But just so we're clear, if I had seen money change paws, I'd be running you both in," Judy warned.

The panther went stiff for a moment before smiling and turning to Nick. "She really takes her job seriously doesn't she Nick?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Nick replied, turning to a now confused Judy. "Carrots, meet Sandra, an old friend."

"Pleased to meet you," Judy mumbled, embarrassment muting her voice.

"I doubt it bunny," Sandra said, but with no malice. "So, what do you want Wilde? Trying to educate your fiancée? I mean, I'm not into girls unless the price is right."

"How'd you know we're engaged?" Judy asked, rather unprofessionally.

"Bunny, he proposed on television, even us hookers have those."

"No, Sandra, we're not here for _that_ ," Nick said, jumping in before Judy could start an argument _._ "Not that I ever took up the offer in the first place."

"Yeah yeah, foxes and mating for life, I get it," Sandra said, waving a paw. "So, if you're not here for pleasure, I assume it's business?"

"Got it in one girl," Nick confirmed. He nudged Judy, who was carrying the photo of their Jane Doe. Judy handed it to Sandra.

"Oh, you're looking for Bighana? She OK?" Sandra inquired after looking at the photo.

"You know her!?" Judy said, literally hopping with excitement.

"Yeah, Bighana and I work this corner together a lot. She hasn't been around in a while though," Sandra said, slightly put off by Judy's reaction. "Why, what'd she do?"

"Nothing," Nick said before sighing. "She's dead."

"Ah shit," Sandra muttered, shaking her head. She handed the photo back to Judy, "Was it a client?"

"We don't know yet. Can you tell us anything more about her? Her last name?" Nick asked.

"I didn't know her last name. Hell, for all I know Bighana wasn't even her real first name," Sandra replied. She leant against the lamppost and removed a cigarette and lighter from her cleavage. She lit it and took a drag, breathing out slowly.

"What do you mean you didn't know her last name? You said you worked together," Judy asked.

"Bunny, in my line of work you learn to not get too attached and not give out too much information about yourself. Otherwise…well, shit like this happens," she explained, pointing to the photo of the now identified Jane Doe.

"Please Sandra, anything you can tell us about her will help," Nick pleaded, determination adding a steely edge to his voice. "We got to find out what happened and make whoever did this pay."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Sandra said, taking another drag. "Gotta say Nick, never thought I'd see you on that side of the badge, spouting that bullshit. You used to be the most cynical guy I knew."

"What can I say, love changes a guy," Nick responded, shrugging. A warm feeling filled Judy at that. She never considered Nick a bad mammal…well, not until after she helped him with the Night Howler case, but she did have a small amount of pride in helping him to become the mammal he was today.

"Heh, well if even you can find your happiness, I guess that gives the rest of us sad sacks hope. OK, you ask and I'll see if I can help."

"When did you last see Bighana?" Judy asked, whipping out her treasured carrot pen recorder and pressing the start button. It wasn't the original one that Nick had kept, that still sat at home. This was a new one, with far more space for recording. The shape was just coincidental.

"Let's see, I think it was about two or three weeks ago? She said something about striking out at a legitimate job at some club. She spent the next couple of nights working here with me. I then took a couple of days to myself, to recuperate you know? I came back and she said she had a guy come back for her a couple of times. Seemed that he wanted to spend more than just one night with her. After that, she said he'd been asking to pick her up at a different place every night, but treated her very nicely, picked her up in a limo every time too."

"Every night? Whoever this guy is must have some stamina. Guess that rules out cheetahs," Nick joked.

"Did she say what kind of mammal he was?" Judy continued, though not before having to force down the beginnings of a chuckle.

"Nope, said he wanted to keep things discreet. That's not exactly uncommon in this line of work bunny."

"Can you give us anything else? An address would be nice, though I doubt she gave you that if she was as careful as you say," Judy asked.

"Actually, I do know where she lives…lived," Sandra said, a sad look taking over her face. "See, one time when she finished with a client and got dropped back here, she had gotten into the booze in a real big way. She was so shitfaced she couldn't stand, so I managed to get her to tell me where she lived and I took her home in a taxi."

"Really? That's great Sandra!" Nick said, his own turn to hop a little.

"Yeah, it's the Savannah Sunrise apartment complex a few blocks over. I think it was number 3B? You remember that place don't you Nick?" Sandra asked.

"Oh boy do I ever, full of rubes willing to trust a shifty fox," Nick replied. "Thanks Sandra, that gives us what we need. Here." He withdrew his wallet and handed over a few bucks to the panther.

"Huh, well this will get you a blow-job behind a dumpster," Sandra said, pocketing the money.

"Har har, go get something to eat Sandra, you look starving. Take care of yourself kid," he said as he and Judy turned away. The partners started making their way back to the car, a spring in their step, though somewhat weak due to exhaustion.

"You think we can go to the apartment now?" Judy asked.

"Fluff, it's past 4 a.m. I don't know about you but I need sleep," Nick replied, yawning. The yawn became contagious, causing Judy to do the same.

"Yeah, I guess we'll be no good searching an apartment if we're unconscious," she said smiling. "Plus, we might need Bogo and Judge Antlerson to sign off on a warrant."

"And I am _NOT_ waking Bogo up at 4 a.m.…again. Last time we did that he had us on parking duty for a month!" Nick shivered at the memory.

"Well we technically work for Vines now, so that wouldn't happen," Judy reassured, stifling another yawn.

"Yeah, but Bogo's still his boss," Nick reminded Judy.

"Good point." Judy let a yawn escape as the tiredness started taking hold. "Savannah Sunrise apartments, huh?" she asked, looking to Nick. "Sounds nice."

"Prepare to be surprised Fluff."


	9. Morbid Curiosity

"You weren't wrong about that apartment complex," Judy said as she stared at her monitor. Getting a warrant from Bogo was taking longer than she and Nick had anticipated, so they were mostly double checking everything they had so far and working out theories while they waited. Taking a small break, Judy had decided to look up the Savannah Sunrise apartments on Zoogle Maps, and found that, as per Nick's prediction, the name did not match her expectations. The website showed a dilapidated tenement block, the sign on the outside actually saying 'S van ah S nri e,' as letters had fallen off and never been replaced.

"Told ya," Nick said as he put the finishing touches on the whiteboard he'd brought in with him. He'd said he'd found it in storage while checking through some files about a month before they became detectives, and since no one was using it, figured it was fair game.

"You just got that because you saw it on a television show once, didn't you?" Judy said as she watched Nick finishing writing the final words on the board.

"Yep!" Nick replied with glee.

"And what was that parcel you brought in with you this morning? The one you got when you visited your mom last week. How's she doing by the way?"

"Better, but she's still having trouble getting out of bed in the morning sometimes. And the parcel…" Nick said, turning back and down to one of the cabinets in his desk. After a few seconds, he came out holding a box, which he opened, revealing a beige fedora with a black band circling the base. Though there was evidence of wear on it, it was still in pretty decent shape.

"Oh God really?" Judy said in exasperation. "What's next? You gonna get a wrist radio like Dik-dik Tracy?"

"As fun as that would be, no. I'm not even sure I wanna wear this at work if I'm honest," Nick said as he turned the hat over in his paws. He flipped it upside down and handed it to Judy, then pointed at a label attached to the lining. It read 'Property of B. Wilde.

"Nick, is this your father's hat?" Judy asked, slightly confused. "Wait, I thought your dad's name was James?"

"Technically yes, it was Dad's, but he got it from my grandfather, Miles Wilde, who got it from _his_ father, Basil Wilde," he answered as he took the hat back. "This is a 100% genuine fedora from 1917, apparently made by Olney Headwear," he said, looking at a faded tag on the inside of the hat. "Great granddad picked it up in London when he was part of the Expeditionary Forces during World War I." He looked at the hat for a moment before placing it on his head. "So, how do I look Fluff?"

Judy looked her mate over and considered giving him a playful ribbing, but thought better of it. Nick had so few things that had belonged to his father, and now with his mother getting sick more frequently, it might not be too long until all he had of them were his memories and their possessions.

"You actually look rather…dapper," she finally responded after staring at him for a few seconds. It was true, the hat seemed to work for him.

"Really? Dapper huh? Not a word you hear every day. Well then, this is definitely far too important to wear for work." He motioned to place the hat back in the box, where a cough caused them both to look over to Fred Porklon who had just come in from a break. He was looking at the hat with interest.

"Hey Wilde. Do you mind if I take a look?" Porklon asked, somewhat sheepishly. Judy was astounded; this was the first time Porklon had spoken to either of them since his attempted apology.

"Uhm sure Fred, I guess?" Nick said. Porklon walked over at the invitation and took the hat reverentially. He turned it over in his hooves like a counterfeiter checking his work was up to snuff.

"Nice," he said, finally holding it still. "An Olney original if I was to guess…1920?" he estimated.

"1917 actually," Nick said.

"Ah yes, you can tell by the type of stitching, even better. You thinking of selling it? These things could go for a couple of thousand if you take it to the right places, even with the level of wear this has."

Nick stood silently. Judy was amazed, few mammals could get Nick to stop talking at all. "Well, no," Nick finally said. "It belonged to my great grandfather who passed it down to my grandfather, who passed it down to my dad." Nick remained silent before breathing out. Sharing with other mammals was always hard for him. "It's one of the few things I have left of him."

To his credit, Porklon didn't make any disparaging remarks to Nick. He simply handed the hat back like it was something precious, which it was. "In that case, lemme give you the name of a few quality haberdasheries. They could get it restored and give you tips on keeping it pristine. I'd probably invest in a proper case too if you plan to display it."

"Well thanks Fred," Nick replied, placing the hat back into the box and his desk. He was obviously surprised by the offer. Even after being accepted into the ZPD with open arms, he was always taken aback by other mammals reaching out to him. Porklon wrote down the addresses, but before Nick could say anything else, Porklon's desk phone started ringing, ending the conversation as he went to attend to the call. Another few minutes later he left with Dobby, who'd been sitting at his computer the entire time, leaving the duo as the only detectives still in their office.

"Well, that was odd," Judy finally said. "But at least he's making the effort." She turned back to the board Nick had been assembling. "OK, so you've got all the pertinent info up there. Arsenic poising, the victim's address, the autopsy report, but it does feel like we're missing something."

"Yeah, I know what you mean Fluff. Not sure what though."

After a few minutes Judy found herself drawn to the part of the board labelled "arsenic" and started tapping her foot. "Have we still got the autopsy report?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Yeah, somewhere," Nick responded, searching his desk. Eventually he found it and handed it to Judy who started reading it voraciously. "Got an idea?"

"Maybe…" Judy said thoughtfully as she stared at the report. She found the part that listed all the foreign elements found in the victim's blood. She'd glanced over the report previously and then studied it in more detail afterwards, but with everything that had happened in the case, she'd forgotten some of the details and _something_ was niggling her.

"Hey, did we ever get the full toxicology report? This just tells us the cause of death," she said looking back up at Nick who was already handing the full report over.

"So, according to this, arsenic wasn't the only thing found in her body. She had a lot of pounce, some alcohol…"

"Booze and drugs, a winning combo," Nick said sarcastically. Judy kept reading the document, feeling something was missing. She then glanced over and found something weird in the stomach contents.

"OK that's odd. She had nothing in her stomach aside from trace amounts of baking soda," she said.

"Really? That _is_ odd. I mean you'd expect something more substantial. Like some food leftovers or something."

"Yeah. And I'm still having a hard time piecing together the poisoning. I mean arsenic isn't just something you have on hand. We checked the chemical suppliers and they just sell to the factories. No private sales within the timescale we're looking at, so I doubt she had it just lying around her apartment."

"Yeah, odd that, unless..." Nick said before trailing off, a look of sadness on his face.

"You OK Nick?" Judy asked, concern growing.

"Yeah babe, just well, had to think about Robin for a minute."

"Nick…" Judy started to leave her seat to comfort her mate, not wanting him to have to relive the suicide of his friend.

"I'm fine Judy, just still hurts, thinking about what he went through to get where he did. Anyway, you know he was a junkie obviously, but he didn't just stick to crack pounce. He'd sometimes manage to get the pure stuff. Well, I say pure, but the street dealers would cut it with other stuff to stretch profits. Talc, washing powder…

"Baking soda?"

"Got it in one Carrots."

"But arsenic? Did any dealers cut it with that?"

"No idea. I never dealt with them myself, dangerous mammals to scam money out of. I doubt it though. I mean, what dealer wants to kill their customers?"

"All of them? Considering that's what most of this stuff does in the end anyway," Judy pointed out. "I think we should actually go and speak with Bill about this, I'm starting to get sick of staring at the screen and papers. Put this on the board anyway."

"Sure Fluff." Nick walked to the whiteboard and wrote 'pounce + arsenic + baking soda. Link?'

"Hopps! Wilde!" a familiar shout sounded from the door leading out of the detective offices. The partners turned toward it and saw Bogo walking to them.

"Chief Bogo sir!" Judy said, almost bouncing out of her chair. "To what do we owe the visit? Did you come to give us our warrant?"

"Or are you just getting nostalgic for my charms?" Nick said, grinning.

"Wilde, the day I miss your sense of humour is the day I know I need to retire due to insanity," Bogo huffed. "Sorry Hopps, no warrant just yet, still waiting on the D.A. As for why I'm here, I just wanted to see how you're both doing since the incident last week. Oh, don't look at me like that. Even though Vines is fine with what happened he still has to keep me up to date on anything that may affect his personnel. And no, I'm not splitting you up." The partners started breathing again, their worry over any potential fallout from their personal issues evaporating slowly.

"Thank you, sir."

"Just don't make a habit of it Wilde. I'd hate to have to split up such an effective team." Bogo then looked at the whiteboard. "This for your case?"

"Yes sir," Judy affirmed, hopping off her chair. "It was Nick's idea, helps us keep track of things a bit easier."

"What's this about a link between pounce, arsenic and baking powder?"

"Just a hypothesis at the moment," Nick said before explaining their theory.

"Anything to back that up?" Bogo asked after Nick finished.

"Nothing concrete, but we were just going to speak with Bill at the morgue about it."

"Well keep at it, I'm sure you two will crack the case. But just remember; sort your relationship problems out when you're not on the city's time. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!" the partners replied in unison. With nothing else to be said, Bogo left.

"You know, I think he does actually miss us Fluff," Nick said as he and Judy made their way down to their car.

"You think everyone misses you Slick," Judy chided as she hopped up to press the button on the elevator.

"What, you're saying you wouldn't?"

"No, I wouldn't," Judy replied, turning to the surprised vulpine. "I may not have rated sharpshooter like you, but I still have high enough scores on the gun range to hit a bright red bag of snark from fifty paces if he ran off."

"Oh, you wound me Carrots."

"Depends where I hit."

* * *

About thirty minutes later, the pair made their way through the morgue. The tiled floor made their steps echo along the hallways, making the well-lit building feel empty and foreboding.

"I really hate this place," Nick commented as he wrapped his coat around him.

"I know Nick, but it's part of the job."

"Yeah yeah, I know Fluff. I still don't like it."

Judy placed her paw in Nick's, intertwining her fingers with his. They'd only been to the morgue a few times in their careers, but it never put her off. Judy had learned to deal with death at an early age, as with such a large family that meant there were almost as many funerals to attend as there were baby showers. Death became another part of life she just learned to deal with. However, Nick had only ever developed close relationships with less than half a dozen mammals before joining the ZPD, so the death of someone close to him was something he'd never gotten used to. However, he was slowly getting better at it. A year ago, she'd had to physically drag him through the building.

"I'll be fine Judy, thank you," Nick said as he bent down and kissed her paw. He let go, his face becoming unreadable as he mentally flitted through the best persona to present. Whenever he was uncomfortable he tended to fall back to his hustler mindset, thinking of the best way to act for a given situation. It actually served him well, as he had an uncanny knack for reading mammals and making them see what he wanted them to see. He'd been approached on more than one occasion to become part of the undercover squad at Precinct One. He'd turned them down time and time again, wanting to stay with Judy, who despite a perchance for amateur dramatics, couldn't keep up an undercover façade for a length of time if her life depended on it. Which it often would in that line of work.

Eventually they found the area they were looking for, cold storage room twelve. It had at first surprised and saddened Judy to learn just how big the morgue was to handle a population the size of Zootopia, and how many of the bodies went unclaimed, like their current case. They entered and found Bill eating a sandwich as he tended to some paperwork.

"Ah, Detectives," Bill said as he turned to them. "While I'm always happy to speak in person, you know you could have just called me for any questions you had, right?"

"Yeah, but we have nothing but time while waiting for a warrant, so we thought we'd make a house call, so to speak," Judy said. "Well I don't know how much of a distraction I can be, but I'll certainly do my best. It's been a bit _dead_ around here lately."

"Really Bill? Do you have any other jokes?" Nick groaned, shaking his head.

"Hey, what can I say, you get a morbid sense of humour working here. Perhaps it's because of my _stiff_ delivery."

"Oh God, kill me now," Nick threw back.

"Ha, good one," Bill said. Judy tried to stop a chuckle. Nick seemed to miss that Bill always made jokes when he came here, trying to lighten the mood. She assumed it was because being in this place always threw him off slightly, and Bill was used to dealing with mammals uncomfortable around death.

"Really Jude?" Nick said as the laugh escaped.

"What? Don't get snippy with me because the jokes leave you _cold_ ," she replied, unable to stop herself. Nick let out his own small laugh, seemingly getting more comfortable as the look in his eyes gave her a silent thanks.

"Jokes aside, how can I help you guys?" Bill said, bringing Judy back to the task at hand.

"We wanted to ask you a few questions about the autopsy report on Bighana," Judy replied.

"Who?"

"Sorry, the Jane Doe she-wolf. We got a potential first name from a source."

"Ah right. Well go ahead, got a while before I need to submit this paperwork."

"Could you tell us how you concluded it was arsenic poisoning? We read the report, but couldn't quite get it," she asked.

"I'll do better, I'll show you," Bill said before walking to the nearest wall of the room. Nick and Judy followed and saw him open one of the drawers before either could question his actions. He dragged it open, revealing the covered cadaver. The toe tag simply read Jane Doe and the case number.

"My first clue was this," Bill said after pulling back the sheet covering the victim and pointing at her chest. He indicated several patches of fur that had thinned, a few smaller areas that showed the pale skin underneath. "Arsenic causes hair loss, though so does a lot of other stuff." He then pointed to the throat and continued, "During examination of the oesophagus I noticed tears in the lining, indicative of a lot of throwing up. That would normally be consistent with trying to expel food, but the victim had very little in her stomach."

"Aside from the baking soda?" Judy asked. Nick was listening, but seemed to be staring through the corpse, too distracted to ask questions.

"Yeah, which was odd, but not entirely uncommon when dealing with overdoses. You know some dealers cut their…"

"Yeah, they cut it with other stuff," Nick said, cutting off an unneeded explanation by the goat.

"Yes well," Bill replied, taking the interruption in stride, "I then started testing the lungs, and lo and behold, they showed signs of damage consistent with poisoning. Then I found some residue containing small flakes of the metal. To confirm the diagnosis, I tested tissue from the lungs, kidneys, and liver. They all showed damage consistent with arsenic poisoning."

"Any ideas on how the arsenic got in her system? Could it have been accidental?" Judy asked.

"Well she breathed it in, I found remnants of it in her nasal passages. As for accidental? If it was accidental, I doubt she'd have this much in her system." Seeing their confused faces, he continued. "In a wolf of her size, a lethal dose of arsenic is 200 milligrams. She had a gram in her system."

"Uhm…is that a lot?" Judy questioned, finding it hard to visualise the amount.

"Hmm, hold on," Bill said and walked out of the room. After a few seconds he returned, bringing up a container of sugar he'd taken from the morgue's break room. Motioning them over to the table they had found him at, he placed it down and took a small spoon. He got a small piece of blank paper and put a small pile of the sugar out. "This is 200 milligrams," he said while indicating the pile, which was roughly the size of a penny. "This is a gram," he continued and poured an amount roughly five times the size out. "To be honest, I questioned this myself at first, because if my timetable of death is right, she _should_ have been dead within a couple of hours of ingesting this. I think she lasted roughly twenty-four hours before expiring, which means she was rather hardy or inhaled this over a short period, maybe a day." He tidied up the mess as he continued. "But to answer your original question, no, I don't think this was accidental. It's simply too much arsenic to come into casual contact with. You need a license to buy even the smallest amount and those are a right hassle to get since you have to prove you have a need for it."

"So, it was probably intentional. But in what way? I'd say suicide, but there's a lot easier ways to kill yourself," Nick remarked. He took a deep breath, causing Judy to turn to her fiancé, ears drooping. This case was causing a lot of difficult memories to resurface for him.

"Yeah, I agree, it just doesn't make sense," she said.

"Oh definitely, it's a horrible way to die. Vomiting blood, blood in the urine, cramps, convulsions, hair loss, diarrhoea, simply awful. I'd take a gun to the head any day…is everything alright Judy?" the sheep asked as a glare of hatred was directed his way by the rabbit. Judy was thinking how it would look to deliver a swift kick to Billy's legs when Nick placed an arm on her shoulder. She turned and saw him shake his head.

"Oh, she's just tired is all, it's been a long day and it's only…wow three p.m.? Almost quitting time. Thanks Bill, that at least gives us something to work with. Take care!" With that, Nick led Judy out of the cold storage room, leaving Bill to clean up. They remained silent until they had exited the building and got into their car.

"You OK Nick?" Judy asked, concern in her voice.

"I think I should be asking you. I know that look you were giving Bill back there. You were sizing him up for a hospital bed."

"Well he shouldn't have said…"

"I know you mean well Judy, but putting a helpful city employee in the hospital will not help our careers. I appreciate the sentiment though," he said as he reached over for a kiss, which Judy returned.

"So, what now Slick, back to the precinct?" Before he could answer, the car's radio called out.

"Dispatch to Sierra Oscar Five, come in Sierra Oscar Five."

"Guess we'll find out now," Nick said, picking up the receiver. "Dispatch this is Sierra Oscar Five, go ahead Ben."

"Hey Nick, Bogo wanted me to let you know your warrant is ready. And could you pick me up a dozen jelly-filled donuts on your way back? I'm famished."

"Thanks bud, and sure, we'll be passing a place on the way," Nick said and replaced the receiver. "If we hurry now we should be able to get this done today what do you say FluuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUF!" he screamed as Judy hit the gas. Luckily, he managed to get his seat belt on after the second time he was slammed into the dashboard.


	10. Warranted Action

"I swear to Buddha Judy, you're going to kill me if you keep driving like that," Nick said, rubbing his chin where he'd been slammed into the dashboard. _Twice._

"Hey, not my fault you didn't have your seatbelt on in time. And since when did you become Buddhist? You always swear on God or Jesus." She reached up to his muzzle and started turning his head to and fro, checking to see if he was injured.

"Well, considering I'm agnostic, I figured those guys could use a break from hearing me swearing _at_ them whenever I get in a car you're driving," Nick answered, slightly muffled as he tried to talk without moving his mouth.

"You're a worse driver than I am."

"No, you just think that because I barely ever get to drive."

"And that's because you're bad at it," Judy said before taking her paws away from his face. "Nothing broken, but it'll probably bruise. I'm sorry Nick."

"It's OK Judy, I know you didn't mean it."

"I know, but I'll try and wait till you get your seat-belt on next time. Forgive me?"

"Only if you kiss it to make it better." Judy smiled and gave him a quick peck on the chin. "You know, I think I also smacked my crotch against the dash…"

"Maybe later Slick," Judy chided, punching him lightly on the arm. Finally, they exited the car across the street from the Savannah Sunrise apartments. "Got the warrant?"

"Right here Fluff," Nick replied, opening his jacket and showing her the warrant in an inside pocket. She nodded and they made their way across the street and into the lobby of the apartment building. While on the outside the building was as dilapidated as its Zoogle Maps page had made it seem, the lobby itself was at least clean, if not tidy. One of the lights in a darkened hallway flickered, illuminating an out of order vending machine that looked like it suffered much abuse from the tenants, dent marks in the front and sides. But for faults like this, Judy couldn't see a speck of dirt anywhere.

The sound of hooves and jingling metal caused her and Nick to turn towards a staircase to their left, where a young ibex came into view. His horns were a jeweller's wet dream, adorned with every type of shaped metal that could be imagined and must have almost doubled the weight of his head. On his arms, it appeared that he'd dyed his fur with various Asian characters resembling the tattoos other mammals with far less hair would sometimes get. Or, at least what he thought those tattoos looked like. Judy was pretty sure she'd seen one or two at a takeout near their apartment. The ibex glared at the two smaller mammals as he made his way down.

"What you looking at pelts?" the ibex sneered, not even bothering to hide his disdain. Judy rolled her eyes; she was getting sick of rude teenagers, and glad she and Nick weren't interested in having kids.

"Got something to say cutie?" the ibex continued, taking offence at Judy's gesture.

"You wanna take this one?" Judy asked her fiancé, her annoyance getting the better of her. She hated how so many mammals talked down to her, but she couldn't be bothered putting this young idiot in his place. He simply wasn't worth getting any angrier with.

"Glad to partner," Nick said, winking. "Good afternoon sir, I was wondering if you could direct us to either the owner of this building or the super?"

"And why would I do that?" the unhelpful mammal replied, contempt in every word.

"Oh, I dunno, maybe to be a nice mammal, a good neighbour, a helpful citizen," Nick said smiling, before his face hardened into an expression of stone cold authority, "or perhaps to _not_ get thrown in jail for obstructing a police investigation," he added as he reached into his pocket and flipped open his wallet, showing his badge. Right on cue, Judy reached into her t-shirt and pulled out the badge that was still on the chain around her neck. The change in demeanour in the kid was immediate, transforming from a rough and tough rebel ready to stand his ground to someone who wanted to be anywhere but there right now.

"Uh, the super's down the hall, second door on the left,' the ibex informed, pointing the way.

"Why thank you kind sir," Nick said, slipping back into affability without a pause for breath as he replaced his badge. "It's so refreshing to see a young mammal willing to help the police, especially in the border districts. I guess we'll just have to come around here more often, 'ey Carrots?"

This time Judy rolled her eyes at her partner, as he laid it on thick, but allowed a smile of amusement to show as well before nodding to play along with Nick's show.

"Wonderful. Well, we can't keep you chatting here with us, must be off to do good in the community. I sure hope we see you again, since I'm sure we'll be around more often. Take care," Nick said as he walked away from the ibex, Judy falling into step by his side. Nick was counting under his breath " _Three, two one…_ " As he finished, the sound of running hooves at a dead sprint was heard. "I never get tired of that," Nick gloated, a smile of pure smug self-satisfaction across his face.

"You of course know that he couldn't be booked for obstructing an investigation he isn't a part of?"

"Yeah well, he didn't, and I find myself having a hard time caring," Nick replied as they approached the door they'd been directed to. A sign on it read 'Vince Nigiri, Superintendent/Property Manager'. "Your turn I think Fluff," Nick said, getting his badge out again. Judy knocked and heard a shuffling from inside the apartment, followed by a shout of "Oh for the love of…Gimme a minute!"

"ZPD Mr. Nigiri, open up!" Judy barked, her voice becoming authoritative with practised ease. A few seconds later the door opened, revealing a soaking wet warthog. A _naked_ soaking wet warthog.

"Uhm…how about you take that minute?" Judy instructed, turning her head away. The warthog nodded and shut the door.

"So…how long till he realises he didn't have a towel?" Nick asked. The answer came a few seconds later when a load groan of embarrassment could be heard. "I wonder if he opens bottles with that thing?"

"Nick for the love of…" Judy began to chide before the door was opened again, the super now clad in a plain black t-shirt and grey sweat pants.

"Uhm sorry about that, what can I do for you officers?"

"Detectives," Judy corrected, trying to get her authoritative voice back after the embarrassing last few minutes. "Mr. Nigiri, we need you to open up apartment 3B, we have an ongoing investigation and we believe the resident of that apartment is involved."

"I'm sorry, but I can't open a tenant's home without informing the landlord and giving the tenant twenty-four hours' notice. Good day officers," Vince said and went to close the door. He was surprised when a kick from the rabbit caused it to swing back and slam into the wall beside it.

"Again, it's detectives," Nick reminded before taking a breath. "And as per Zootopian Building Ordinances Paragraph 12, Subsection C, a building manager has the authority to allow access to a property without needing to inform the landlord," he continued, dredging up some old facts from an old plumbing scam about a decade ago.

"Well I still need to give the tenant notice…"

"Wrong!" Judy exclaimed, motioning to Nick, who fished out the warrant from his jacket. "Because we have a warrant, and if you don't comply with it, you will be arrested for obstructing a murder investigation."

"Mu...murder?" the super stammered, completely shocked. Judy cursed under her breath. While technically she did nothing wrong in revealing that piece of info, it was something she was trying to keep close to her chest from anyone who might be involved, and with access to the victim's apartment, that might be this warthog. "Is, is Bighana alright?" he suddenly asked. The fact he knew the victim made him even more involved than she thought, but his concern seemed genuine. Judy turned to Nick who nodded back. She reached into her own jacket and brought out the picture of what she had now come to accept was Bighana. She held it up in front of Vince.

"Sir, do you know this mammal?"

"Yeah…that's her, Bighana…shit, she's dead, isn't she?" the warthog asked, deflating with every word.

"Yes, she is. That's why we need to get into her apartment, so we can find out how this happened," Judy said. "Could you tell us her last name?"

"Uhm well, I don't know it…"

"You manage a building and don't know the full names of your tenants?" Judy asked incredulously.

"Look, officer…"

" .TIVE." Judy said emphatically.

"Detective, sorry. Look, the landlord deals with all that stuff, and he's two months into a six-month jail term for drug possession. All that stuff is locked on a password-protected computer in his office. I can't even let new tenants take up residence in the empty apartments. Luckily all the rent and my salary is handled by a property management company or I'd be out of a job right now."

"Can't you get the details from them?" Judy suggested.

"Yeah, with written authority or a phone call from the landlord, who is disinclined to do any work while in prison. Probably enjoying the time away."

"Well, just let us in and we'll see what we can find," Judy urged, softening her tone. Taking the hard-ass route seemed to cause reluctance in Vince, and the longer he held out, the longer it would take to get potentially vital evidence.

"Of course, offi…detectives," Vince said before turning to a wall inside the opening of his apartment/office. He brought up a single key, presumably the master for the building. He quickly closed and locked his door and motioned Nick and Judy to follow him. A few minutes later they stood outside apartment 3B, the one Sandra had correctly remembered as Bighana's. As Vince opened the door and pushed it inwards, he started to step inside. Nick reached up to the slightly taller mammal's shoulder, causing him to stop.

"Sorry sir, but we need to access a potential crime scene without potential outside influence. You're more than welcome to watch from the door, but we can't have you enter just yet," Nick ordered calmly but with an authority that, while not as commanding as Judy's, got the point across.

"Yes yes, sorry, of course," Vince replied, stepping aside. Judy was having a hard time thinking of him as a potential suspect since he was being so helpful and seemed genuine. But then again, he could just be a very good actor. She'd get Nick's input on it later since he was better at reading mammals than she was. It was one of the things that made their partnership work; he knew what to spot in mammals, while she was better at assessing a situation, whether it's a fight or a crime scene, though Nick was getting better in both.

When she and Nick entered the apartment, they found something very different from what she expected. She'd thought the apartment would be like the rest of the building, run-down and dirty. Bighana's was pretty much immaculate. Whatever type of mammal the wolf had been when she was alive, she was fastidious and clean, something Judy wouldn't have expected from a prostitute. She grimaced at herself for making assumptions again, trying to work past her issues.

She and Nick simply stood in the apartment entryway, nothing seemed to fit in with a possible crime scene. No chairs or anything knocked away, no broken plates, nothing indicating any violence, though in fairness she shouldn't have expected anything. It also didn't seem like the place, while tidy, hadn't been cleaned for at least a while, since it smelled stale and not lived in. She went to move and something brushed against her foot, causing her to look down and notice a small pile of mail on the floor. She picked up a random letter, some kind of bill, and read the name on the front. _Bighana Akela. So, we finally have a name…why does it sound familiar?_ she asked internally. _I'll ask Nick in a second, he might remember._ The letter still in her paw she turned back to Vince, who stood in the doorway looking pensive.

"Has anyone been in here since you last saw Bighana?"

"I don't think so; the door hasn't been forced from what I can see and I have the only master key."

"Did you know she wasn't here?"

"Well, yes."

"And why didn't you report her missing?"

"Well, she was sometimes away for a few days for her work…" Vince answered before clamming up.

"Relax Vince, we know she was a prostitute. We can't prosecute her for that now, and knowing she was a prostitute isn't a crime," Nick reassured, putting the super at ease. He sniffed the air in the entryway and his eyes grew wide. "I smell pounce…" he said before moving further into the apartment and around a corner that lead to the open living area. Judy followed and saw her fox sniffing carefully, keeping his nose held high. If there was pounce around he wanted to avoid breathing it in accidentally. He moved towards an old worn couch in front of a television and raised his nose slightly, breathing in the air above a table where small traces of white power lay, right next to…a cereal container? Nick continued sniffing, edging ever so slightly closer to the container.

"Hey Carrots? You got a pen or something?"

"Yeah, but why?" she asked, fishing in a pocket and bringing out a cheap pen she had stuffed in there God knows when.

"Because I'm going to try and open this without touching it, and because I think there is a large amount of pounce in here but it's one of those frosted ones so I can't see it 100%. Might just be a shit-tonne of sugar, but I doubt it." With that, he held up his paw in an open fist and she tossed him the pen. He caught it, removed the lid and held it by the top. Fumbling for a second, he managed to flip open the container. He looked inside, then let out a long low whistle.

"What is it?" Judy asked, walking over to him.

"Well, if my knowledge of illegal substances is anything to go by, there's almost a goddamn kilo of pounce in this! Judy, that's worth about $30,000! How the hell does a prostitute have that much money on hand?"

"Jesus," Judy whispered, just as astonished as Nick was. Mammals simply did not have that amount of pounce on them. It was either a small amount if you were a user, or a great deal _more_ if you were a dealer. And dealers didn't keep their product in cereal boxes. She eyed the powder closely and saw little purple sparks inside, glittering in the light. "Does pounce usually have bits of purple in it?"

"Now that I don't know. Think we're gonna need forensics for this one Fluff. We better call this in."

"Yeah, I'll head down and radio in. You look around, OK?" Judy said. Though she was better at crime scene evaluation than Nick, she'd be able to run down to the car and be back faster than he could. Plus, it'd give him time to practice his skills in that area. Just as she was about to leave she turned back to Nick. "Oh crap, almost forgot. This has Bighana's full name on it," she said before tossing the letter to Nick. Before he could say anything, she jogged out of the apartment, telling Vince to stay put as there were going to be a lot more police there very soon. A scant minute later, she was at the car.

"Sierra Oscar Five to Dispatch."

"This is Dispatch, hi Judy!" came the cheery reply.

"Hi Ben, we need forensics at the Savannah Sunrise apartments on the corner of Trip and Pack. Apartment 3B. Crime scene discovered and we need a couple of guys to go over it."

"Sure thing Judy. It'll be a little bit before the night shift are ready to head out. I'll make sure they get to you before I clock out though. They should be with you within the next fifteen-twenty minutes. That OK?"

"Sure thing Ben, Sierra Oscar Five out," Judy finished, then cursed. She checked the time on her phone and found it had just turned six. She and Nick should be off shift by now, and they were both still tired. Well, at least she was sure they wouldn't find much else in there apart from the pounce, so it shouldn't be too long. She sprinted back to the building and up to the apartment. She saw Vince looking more worried than he had before.

"Everything alright?" she asked, wondering what had caused the change in mood.

"I think something's wrong with your partner…" he replied, pointing into the apartment. Judy dashed in and saw Nick standing with his back to her, standing over a small table. She saw the letter in his right paw but he was holding something else in his other. It appeared to be a framed photo, but it was partially covered by brown wrapping paper.

"Nick?" she called out as she walked to his right, placing an arm on his back. "Nick, what's wrong?"

Nick looked down at Judy, with an expression of barely controlled panic on his face. He visibly calmed when he saw her and let out a breath. He moved the photo in his left paw over to his right, holding the envelope underneath. Judy took them both. She looked at the picture, observing the two female wolves taking a selfie, hugging and smiling outside of…the ZPD Academy? The one in a plain but smart red dress was Bighana. The other was in the dress blues of a newly graduated officer. Judy still couldn't see what Nick was so worried about. She looked at the envelope and read the name again. Bighana Akela…Akela…

"Oh shit!" she finally blurted out as she recognised the name and the other wolf in the picture. It was Bhrast Akela, former Internal Affairs officer who had gotten demoted back to beat officer and then stuck behind a reception desk in Precinct 99 for accusing Nick of murdering Robin Loxley, his old friend and the fox who had killed himself when Nick was thrust into a hostage situation.

"Oh shit indeed Judy," Nick responded as Judy dropped the photo and letter and wrapped her arms around his waist. "This is going to be a loooong night."


	11. Remorse's Return

Bhrast Akela was annoyed. This happened _a lot_. It had been a year since she was demoted to beat cop and then shoved behind a desk. She hated it, the work was dull and she was terrible at interacting with other mammals. But after keeping her head down for a year, lightly flirting with Captain Higgins, and making sure she kept her skills up to date at the firing range and sparring arena, she'd _finally_ been let back out on patrol. Oh, it was still nowhere near as satisfying as when she had been a Sergeant in Internal Affairs, but at least it was a step back up the career ladder. It had taken her four years to get to Sergeant, and another 18 months to get into Internal Affairs, but she'd only lasted four months there before that fucking _fox_ got her thrown out. She was convinced he'd been bucking for her position, but then he'd been made a detective, going down a completely different career path.

That didn't matter though; what mattered was that she was back to being a real cop again. But then, only three hours into her first patrol shift, she'd been called back to the precinct by the captain. Kelsey, her cheetah partner, was told to take up station at the reception desk for the rest of the evening shift while Bhrast had been ordered up to the captain's office. She had no idea what the hell was going on.

 _Maybe he needs us assigned to a case…but why would Kelsey have been stuck behind reception?_ she thought. She felt sorry for Kelsey, she knew how dull the desk was. Hopefully this was just for today. She made her way up to Captain Higgin's office and stood in front of the frosted glass door, which obstructed her view of the interior. She made a few quick adjustments to her uniform and knocked on the door.

"Come in Bhrast," came the rumbling voice of the hippo.

 _Strange, he usually calls me Akela if it's official business…oh God, I hope he hasn't still got the wrong idea._ She really hoped the captain had gotten the message last time; she'd just flirted with him lightly in the hope it'd get her back on the street again. Nothing over the top, a compliment here, a smile there, that's all! _He's got a wife and kids, if this is what I think it is I better let him down gently._

"I said come in Bhrast!" Higgins said, louder. It was far more authoritative, but he still used her first name. Deciding not to keep him waiting, she entered. Her heart sank immediately, while her anger rose at the same rate. Sitting in front of the captain's desk and sharing a seat were Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, the bastards who got her shoved here in the first place. She caught herself before a snarl started, remembering that these two now outranked her, and assaulting a superior officer was a very bad idea. Not that she'd do it, of course.

Well, probably anyway.

"You wanted to see me sir?" she asked, walking up to the Captain's desk, trying her best to ignore the two detectives.

"Yes Bhrast, thank you, take a seat. These detectives have some…news and a few questions for you," Higgins informed as he placed his arms by his sides in a gesture of…what exactly? Resignation? Sadness? Suddenly, the sound of the captain's desk phone ringing filled the room. He picked it up and put it to his ear. "Yes? Can this wait? OK, OK, I'll be right down." He ended the call and turned to the detectives. "Sorry, just got a call from the front desk. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said and made to stand, the floor rumbling slightly under his heavy weight. He made his way around the desk, then turned to her. "I'll be here when you need me, OK Bhrast?" he assured, placing a massive hoof on her shoulders. He looked over to the detectives. "Sorry guys, I'll try and be back as quick as I can."

"No worries Higgins, was nice seeing you again. We miss you at Precinct One," Judy said, her familiarity with the hippo making his rank a small detail in their friendship. When she had just started, Higgins was a sergeant at the precinct, but he had gotten the job as captain of Precinct 99 not long after making lieutenant when he had managed to catch one of the biggest drug dealers in Zootopia about a year ago. By all accounts, he was doing a great job.

"Yeah big guy, it's not the same without you," Nick added, throwing a wink at his former colleague. Higgins smiled and made his way out of the room, finally removing his hoof from Bhrast's shoulder.

"Well? I haven't got all day you know?" Bhrast said, her faux civility all gone now that the captain was out of earshot. If they had to ask her questions for a case she'd help, but it didn't mean she'd have to be civil.

"Officer Akela," Nick began, a face of neutrality presented to her. "Do you know a Bighana Akela?"

"Yes, she's my sister. What has the little idiot done now? Got caught whoring herself out? Is that what this is? Blackmail to keep her arrest out of the public eye? You know how much we make as beat cops so I can't pay much. Not that I would pay if I…"

"She's dead Akela," Judy cut in to stop the wolf's rant.

"Wha…what?" Bhrast uttered after a few moments of silence. _No no no not Bighana, not my little Bahan, they must be wrong._ She said as much out loud.

"Here," Judy said with obvious but controlled frustration, handing over the photo. Bighana took it and stared. Yes, it was Bighana, eyes closed, lifeless, but it was her. She nodded.

"We're sorry," Nick said levelly, "but we're going to need you to come to the morgue and officially identify her. We'll also have to ask you some questions. Do you want to do that now or come to Precinct One tomorrow?"

"No, let's…let's do it now, get it out of the way," Bhrast responded, still staring at the photo. Tears had started running down her face. "Do you know who did it?"

"Not yet," Nick replied. "We haven't got much to go on right now, but we'll find out."

"Pfft, guess those stereotypes of fox intellect are over-exaggerated," Bhrast snapped, her eyes finally turning from the photo to glare at Nick.

"Just like many stereotypes are I guess," Nick said coolly, not taking the bait. Judy on the other hand let out a small growl. The noise was so unheard of from a rabbit it took Bhrast a few seconds to locate the source.

"What's the matter rabbit? Don't like me insulting your boy toy? Maybe you wanna take this outside?"

"I'd advise against it, considering Judy holds the records for taking down an elephant, rhino, hippo…pretty much any mammal that weighs in the tonnes actually, back at the academy," Nick explained before Judy could respond to the provocation.

"Is that a threat?" Bhrast said, smiling.

"No, it's a statement of fact warning that if you continue to provoke my partner, it will probably end badly for you. Just like last time when you did it to me," Nick replied, not a shred of malice or humour in his voice. Judy was amazed he was keeping himself this controlled after his minor episode at the apartment. She on the other hand…

"OK Flopsy, I'll lay off," Bhrast said, obviously annoyed by Nick's reminder.

"The building super said a wolf matching your description was at the apartment building a few days before she was found," Judy said, trying her best to ignore the demeaning term and be more like Nick. "Was that you?"

"Yes, it was. I was delivering a package to her…"

"A photograph of your graduation from the ZPD Academy?" Nick asked.

"You opened it? Where do you get off?"

"At home, with her," Nick answered, smiling as he indicated Judy. The joke immediately threw Bhrast for a loop while Judy glared up at her partner. "We were trying to establish her identity, when she was found she had no I.D., and nobody seemed to know much about her. We had to search her apartment and found that. Along with just under a kilo of pounce. Did you know anything about that?"

"A kilo? Where the hell did she get that?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. I assume you knew of her habit?"

"Yeah, I was trying to convince her to go to rehab when we last spoke three months ago, which is what caused her to not speak to me for those three months…"

"Why didn't you report her to the police if you knew?" Judy asked, harsher than she meant to.

"Because, _rabbit_ , she was my sister! Would you report one of your family? I assume you have one, being good at multiplying and all." Judy held her tongue, not wanting to show the wolf was annoying her, though she knew her face showed it.

"Well that is not the purview of our investigation anyway," Nick said. The overly formal tone reminded Judy she had to keep her cool for Nick's sake; the more upset Nick got, the harder he tried to clamp down on his feelings. She knew she was his emotional crutch at times, something she didn't like, but would support him nonetheless. "Did you deliver her the kilo of pounce as well?" Nick asked.

"What? No!"

"Just checking, you know we have to ask," Nick replied and continued through a litany of standard questions. Where was Bhrast on the night of her sister's death? What had she done since then? Did she know anything about her sister's clients? Did she have an alibi? All amounting to pretty much eliminating her as a suspect as long as they all checked out. Bhrast kept her temper in check for the most part after it became clear Nick wasn't biting, though Judy was pretty sure she'd ground her own teeth down a few millimetres after some of the terser responses. She was also aware that it was really, _really_ bad form as a detective to be visibly angry with someone who had just lost their family, but the way Bhrast immediately tried to make Nick the focus of her anger and sadness really rubbed Judy the wrong way.

"Look, you need to go home," Judy suggested, her caring nature finally surfacing. "I think we got everything we need for the moment, but we still need you to come to the morgue to formally identify Bighana. Say around ten o'clock? We can pick you up," she offered. That would give them all plenty of time to sleep and be fresh for the tasks ahead.

"I can make my own way…" Bhrast muttered, her sadness starting to overcome her anger. "Can I keep this?" she asked, holding up the picture of Bighana. Judy was confused by the thought of Bhrast wanting a picture of her sister's corpse…but then again, with what they learned maybe that was the most recent picture she had.

"I think this would be a better idea…" Nick said. He reached into his pocket and handed over the framed picture of Bhrast's graduation. "It's not evidence of any crime as far as I can tell," he added. Judy smiled inwardly as he handed someone who outright hated his guts a small token of solace. Bhrast snatched it out of his paws without even uttering an insincere thank you. Seemingly unperturbed, Nick made for the door, Judy following suit. Outside they saw Higgins at the top of the stairs having just finished his business at the front desk.

"Hey Higs," Nick greeted. "Bhrast is probably gonna need some time right now and a few days off at least."

"Yeah, I'll get it sorted. Poor kid, she loved her sister despite everything she put her through."

"You knew about Bighana's…activities?" Judy asked, not sure how else to phrase it.

"I look after the officers under my command Hopps, and that means knowing about them."

"Look at this guy, heart as big as…well his stomach!" Nick joked, patting the larger mammal's gut.

"Careful Wilde, I am a captain after all," Higgins rumbled.

"Yessir," Nick replied, winking. "Well, it's been a long day; we'll get out of your hair. G'night Higs."

"Wilde, Hopps," Higgins said and made his way back to his office.

"Phew…what a day, huh Fluff?" Nick said jovially.

 _Too_ _jovially,_ Judy thought.

"God, I can't be bothered cooking when we get home. Pizza?" Nick suggested before Judy could say anything.

"Sounds like a plan," Judy agreed, her stomach grumbling slightly in response. "Nick, do we need to tal…" she started before realising Nick was already making his way to the car, noticing a slight hunching of his shoulders. _Guess I'll wait till we get home,_ she thought, hurrying after her mate.

* * *

"Sweet cheese and crackers, home sweet home!" Nick declared in the same jovial tone as he entered their apartment just after nine pm. He'd been using it all the way home. In the car, then at the precinct, then on the bus, and finally in the pizza place around the corner from their apartment. Judy was about ready to deck him for it. She loved the fox's cynical yet ultimately upbeat attitude. This was…well, it felt like he was being a parody of her!

"Nick…" she began, trying to grab his attention as he put down the pizza. He didn't respond, busying himself with getting the food out for them. "Nick," she said again more firmly, but still he bustled and…was he humming? _Oh that is IT._

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde!" she shouted, causing him to drop a plate he'd gotten out for the pizza. It smashed on the floor, making them both jump.

"It's OK Judy, I got this!" Nick said, smiling warmly as he set about picking up the plate, making more noise than was necessary.

"Nick for the love of God just stop!"

"Stop picking up a broken plate? What, you want porcelain in your paws?" he responded, picking up more bits.

"That is not what I meant and you fucking know it!" THAT got his attention. Judy watched as Nick flinched, then grimaced, placing the bits of plate on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, I know..." he said, resigning to the conversation.

"Nick, you're doing it again…"

"Doing what?"

"Trying to hide your feelings! From _ME_! And doing it badly I might add."

"God, I can't hide anything from you, can I?" Nick replied, letting out a huff of air.

"Do you want to?" Judy asked, hurt at the thought.

"Nononono! God no Judy!"

"Then why are you doing it?"

"I…I don't know. I guess this whole thing with Akela got to me. And I hate that. I hate mammals knowing they get to me."

"I'm pretty sure she didn't get that impression; she was pretty angry after all."

"Heh, that's true. That was funny," he said, smiling at Judy.

"Oh God, did you see her eye twitch when you asked her about the pounce? I thought I might start laughing right there," Judy mentioned and found herself starting to chuckle. She looked up at Nick, whose shoulders were starting to shake with suppressed laugher. Seeing that sent Judy over the edge and she started bawling with laughter, Nick soon following. Taking breaths between guffaws, they made their way to each other and clung to the other for support. Eventually they calmed down enough that they could start talking again.

"You know, we're laughing at someone who just lost their sister, right?" Nick noted.

"I know, and we are so going to hell for it."

"Oh, fuck yes. We're getting our own private fire pit with attendant demons ready to sodomise us with pitchforks at a moment's notice," he described, a chuckle escaping his lips before a serious look crossed his face. "I guess I was trying to cut Akela some slack and…well I went overboard." He practically sighed at that part.

"It's OK Nick, I know you didn't mean it," she consoled, looking into his perfect green eyes. "Just remember you don't need to hide that shit from me, OK? Please?" she pleaded, feeling tears welling up.

"Of course Judy, I'm sorry. I promised I wouldn't do that again after Robin. Sorry I forgot."

"It's OK, dumb fox," she said before standing up on her toes, motioning Nick downwards to meet her lips. "Now come on, our food's getting cold. Let's just relax tonight, OK?"

And they did, planting themselves on the couch and binging a trashy horror movie on Petflix. It was god-awful, but they enjoyed making fun of it, especially the dumb sheriff character who was dumbfounded at every turn by the seven-foot machete-wielding maniac he couldn't catch. After a while Judy started stretching her feet, the last few days being quite hard on them.

"Hey Fluff," Nick said. He pointed to Judy's feet and then to his lap. Obediently, she raised her feet and placed them in front of him. Carefully he removed her foot braces, not seeming to mind the smell of sweat, and started massaging her feet. She laid back and let the relaxing motions soothe her. Somehow Nick's foot rubs were always exactly what she needed. He managed to unknot the muscles and ease them with barely a twinge of pain. After a while when she'd practically dozed off, she felt a small peck on one of her toes as Nick started giving them all quick kisses.

"Eww, gross!" she said playfully and kicked at his muzzle lightly.

"They can't be gross if they're part of you Fluffbutt," Nick teased, batting her feet away from his paws. After a few minutes of this and realising the movie had ended some time ago, they dragged themselves to bed, undressing and then cuddling with each other after a long day, drifting off to a restful sleep.

It wouldn't last.

What seemed like scant minutes later, Judy opened her eyes as her ears twitched at the sound of something vibrating against wood. Groggily she rolled over, tangled in Nick's warm arms, and saw her phone shuffling towards the edge of her nightstand. Managing to retrieve it on the third try, she winced as the screen lit up, stinging her eyes. She managed to see the time.

 _Three AM? We've only been asleep for three hours?_ After her eyes adjusted, she finally saw the name she'd assigned to the phone. It was the precinct. Instantly awake, she answered the phone.

"Hopps. What? Seriously? Goddamnit. OK, OK thanks Fangmeyer, we'll be down as soon as we can." She ended the call, sighed heavily and turned to Nick. "Wake up Slick."

"Nick's not here right now, leave a message at the beep and he'll get back to you when he's conscious. Beep."

"Seriously, we gotta go!"

"Wha? Why, what's happened?" Nick asked, finally managing to wake up.

"Fangmeyer just called. She and Wolford got called to Savannah Sunrise after someone there heard banging from the apartment next door." She took a deep breath. "It's Akela, Nick. She broke into her sister's apartment."


	12. Accountability

Thirty minutes after the call, Nick and Judy dragged themselves into Precinct One (after a short trip to an all-night Snarlbucks where they bought the biggest, most caffeine-laden coffees they could) and nodded to Rachel, the spectacled bear dispatcher who worked the night shift. She reciprocated and directed them to the interview rooms, where Fangmeyer and Wolford had taken Bhrast at their request, weaving through the large amounts of traffic the still bustling station had. Zootopia never truly slept, with the number of nocturnal mammals in the city it could barely afford to nap.

"God, Vines is going to go spare with all the overtime we've been clocking lately Fluff," Nick said before taking a hit from his coffee.

"I think he'd go spare if we told them to keep Akela waiting until morning," Judy replied as she downed the final part of her smaller rabbit-sized cup. She tossed the cup into a nearby bin and opened the door to the precinct's regular interview rooms. There she saw Rajani Fangmeyer waiting for them just inside the hallway.

"Hey Rajani," Judy greeted, letting Nick take a backseat to social interaction; he hated his sleep being interrupted far more than she did. She smiled at her colleague, Fangmeyer and Wolford had been assigned to night shifts about 3 months ago to help cover a shortfall while the academy trained new recruits. This meant that Judy and Nick had and see the two lately, so at least this case gave them a chance to do so again.

"Wilde, Hopps, nice to see you two. Glad to see becoming detectives hasn't made you lazy," Fangmeyer responded, smiling. "Sorry to have to drag you in at this hour, but we thought it best."

"It's OK Fangs," Nick said, though the slight grumble in his voice indicated he had other thoughts on the subject. "You did the right thing."

"We'll see if you think so after this, come on," Fangmeyer said and waved them through a door she was standing near. They found themselves in the observation room next to interview room one, one of the few in the precinct that were outfitted with a one-way glass window, the rest making do with security cameras. Behind the glass they observed Wolford talking to Akela, though the smaller wolf was just looking at the floor. Fangmeyer pressed a button beside the window, and speakers piped the audio from the adjacent room through.

"Come on Bhrast," Wolford's voice urged through the speakers. His tone was patient, though with a hint of frustration. "You know this doesn't look good. An officer of the law breaking and entering? And into an apartment of their murdered sibling no less? You need to tell us what's going on so we can help. It could be your job _at least._ "

"She not talking?" Judy asked, watching as Wolford continued to try and get Akela to speak.

"Nope, hasn't said a word since we caught her."

"What happened there exactly?" Nick asked.

"We got a call of a potential 211 in progress from the Savannah Sunrise apartments by the super. Apparently one of the tenants was complaining about noise from apartment 3B. He called it in because he knew the resident had died and no one else had moved in yet. We rolled up, and kicked in the door to find Akela shuffling through drawers and cupboards, obviously frustrated. When we confronted her she simply surrendered herself, no fuss, no muss, but she didn't say a word. She hasn't said anything since we brought her here either. Wolford read her Miranda rights when we got her back, but she seems to be sticking to the 'right to remain silent' part."

"So, she's said nothing at all?"

"Yep, not a word. Weird that, huh? Last time I saw Akela you couldn't shut her trap if you tried, and considering the shit she was trying to get me to say, believe me, I tried."

"Why? What was she trying to get you to say?" Judy questioned. Fangmeyer nodded towards Nick, and Judy's eyes shifted to him. "Oh…"

"Yeah, she was trying to get dirt on Nick. I explained, in no uncertain terms, she was barking up the wrong tree there. She then tried to get me for mammal discrimination for the comment. Can you believe the irony?"

"I can with her," Nick said and smiled at Fangmeyer. He appreciated her sticking up for him. All the cops at Precinct One were a tight-knit group and knew of Nick's past, including his ties to Mr. Big, and how hard he'd worked at putting all that behind him. Fangmeyer had actually been one of his detractors at first, but he won her over after proving his worth time and time again. This also included when he had taken down an elephant charging at her with a single tranquiliser in just the right spot.

The group turned their attention back to the interview room and saw Wolford shaking his head at Akela. He then exited the room and came in to the observation area.

"Hey guys," he said, closing the door behind him. "Yeah, she ain't talking. She's just sitting there looking and smelling sorry for herself."

"Has she been formally charged yet?" Nick asked, scratching his muzzle.

"Not yet, but unless she starts talking, we'll have to charge her with attempted robbery. I know she's a bitch, but this will kill her career."

"Well it couldn't happen to a nicer mammal," Judy muttered. Akela really got under her skin.

"Damn Hopps, that's cold," Wolford said, though not without amusement.

"What, you like her?"

"God no, I just didn't peg you as a vengeful bunny," he snickered slightly as he said this. While this was all going on, more banter being thrown around by Wolford, Fangmeyer and Judy, Nick was eerily quiet.

"OK, I'm going to go talk to her," he spoke up.

The group turned to Nick, the comment derailing their conversation. Judy panicked, worried that any conversation between the two would go badly.

"Nick…"

"Judy, if you try and stop me you'll be the one sleeping on the couch tonight. This is one time I don't want you to think you have to protect me," Nick insisted, barely any emotion in his voice and without taking his eyes off Akela. "I think we both need this." He turned to Fangmeyer and Wolford. "Would you mind staying in here and watching guys? I know this is your collar but I think I can get her to talk and, hopefully, get some help on our case."

"Uhm, sure Nick," Wolford said after checking with his partner.

"Thanks. You coming Judy?" Nick asked as he made to exit the room. Judy followed him but grabbed his arm before he entered the interview room.

"Nick wait, what the hell are you doing?" she whispered in hushed tones, not wanting Akela to hear.

"Judy, please, I know last time didn't go well, but I think me and Akela need to hash things out, for both of our sakes. We can't have a potential witness withholding information, especially if what I think is happening is happening."

"What do you mean?"

"You know your comment this morning? Asking if dealers cut their pounce with arsenic?"

"Yeah…you think someone is?"

"I dunno. It's just a guess, but we haven't found any evidence of anything else yet. What if Akela knows something? We can't have her clamming up, and quite frankly she only seems to want to talk when I'm in the room."

"To throw insults at you!" Judy declared.

"You act like I've never been insulted before."

"Well, I know, but this is different…"

"You're right Judy, this is different, but not for the reason you think."

"What have you got up your sleeve Nick?" she asked, detecting the hints of a hustle, or maybe something else from her partner.

"Just my arms Fluff," he said smiling. Judy relaxed at him going back to the nicknames. It showed he was in control of his feelings. "Look, I'm sorry about the couch comment. I know you're just looking out for me, but I need you to do something that you'll find very hard to do when we're in there."

"What?"

"I need you to not defend me. Let me do the talking…no, don't make that frowny face. Seriously Judy, I need you to keep quiet in there and not rush to my aid. Even if things get physical. It might be the only way we get anything here. Can you do that for me Judy? Can you not defend someone?"

Judy was speechless. Nick was asking her to let Akela verbally abuse him, possibly more!

 _What the hell is he thinking?_ she thought. It went against everything she stood for not to help a mammal in trouble. She loathed to admit it, but she'd even go to Akela's aid if she needed help. She looked into Nick eyes, that lovely shade of green staring back at her.

"I need you to trust me Judy," Nick requested. That did it. No matter what, Judy would always trust Nick, even if she had concerns.

"Of course Slick," she said with no hesitation. She still had the aforementioned concerns, but she had to admit, she was interested to see where Nick was going with this.

"Thanks Jude," Nick said, and planted a kiss on the top of her head. He opened the door and walked in, Judy following. Immediately Akela turned towards them, and her face went from sadness to anger in less than a second.

"You must be loving this, huh?" Akela snarled, not even trying to be civil as Nick hopped up on the chair in front of her while his partner stayed by the door. Judy figured she knew her career was over and thus wasn't bothered to keep up the public façade.

"Yeah, I just love being woken up at two in the morning after someone decides to break into a potential crime scene," Nick replied, pointedly aggravating Akela.

"I didn't break in, _fox_ ," Akela hissed, venom filling the word. "I have a key!" Even if Judy wanted to react she was stunned to silence. Nick had managed to get more out of her with a single sentence than Wolford had in nearly an hour of talking.

"That's funny. I mean, if you have a key to your sister's apartment, why didn't you use it to deliver that photo yourself? Why hand it to the super?"

"I was trying to be nice! We had a big fight and hadn't spoken for months, I didn't want to violate her home."

"Hmm, yes that would be a big deal for you I suppose," Nick commented, not elaborating further, though something in that sentence made Akela go silent for a second.

"So, if you didn't break in, why did you go to the apartment?" Nick asked, jumping in on the silence.

"I don't have to tell you!"

"No, you don't," Nick agreed. "But if you don't tell us, we're going to have to assume it was to interfere with our investigation. That is not a threat and you know it," he said before Akela could interject. "Innocent until proven guilty works in a court of law, but not when you've been found with your paw in the figurative cookie jar."

"I didn't go there to interfere with the investigation," Akela said, her voice low.

"Then why did you?"

"None of your business."

"Nice try, but it is our business. We're investigating your sister's death Akela, and honestly? Even I have a hard time believing you want to interfere with that. So why were you there? Trying to hide evidence of your involvement?"

"Oh fuck you!" Akela snapped. "I was looking for her date book!"

"Her what?"

"Her date book where she kept her clients, I was gonna look into them!" Akela explained.

"Ah, so you wanted to conduct your own investigation? You think one of them had something to do with it," Nick theorized, nodding. "Makes sense. Did you find it?"

"No, Wolford and Fangmeyer got to me before I could. I guess you didn't either?"

"Honestly we didn't know she had such a thing until you mentioned it. Now that we know it exists, I'm sure it'll help us," Nick answered. Akela's face went stiff when she realised she had actually given up the information and implicated herself in removing evidence.

"Would you have removed it if you found it? Would you have taken it from us, thereby hindering our investigation?" Silence filled the room as Akela had decided that she'd dug her grave deep enough. "I can only assume from your silence that you didn't want us to find it, which implicates…"

"Oh you'd love that, wouldn't you? Spin that into a way to get me out of your fur for good. Not that you'll believe me, but no, I wouldn't. I was planning to take pictures with my phone," Akela said before Nick could finish.

"That's good. But now I have to question why you didn't tell us about this potentially crucial piece of evidence?"

"Because I forgot, OK? My sister just died, I wasn't thinking straight at the time! Cut me some fucking slack!"

"Hmm, a convenient bout of memory loss…not sure that would hold up in court," Nick said. Then he simply stared at Akela, looking her directly in the eye. "But I believe you," he finally said. "You are a lot of things Akela, some not repeatable in polite company, but a liar isn't one of them."

"Oh, and I guess you'd be an expert," Akela replied flatly. It wasn't a question.

"Well, it would just happen to be the case. I used to make a living out of it," Nick said and got up. "Thank you for helping us with our enquires officer, I think me and my partner have some overtime to do to find that book you mentioned." He made his way to the door. Judy was impressed. He'd managed to get her to give up more information in ten minutes than Wolford had in nearly an hour.

"Yeah, ' _used to_ ,'" Akela snorted. "You might have that dumb fucking bunny fooled into believing you've gone straight, but not me."

"OK, you know what? Let's keep talking!" Nick suddenly barked as he rounded on Akela, his fur standing on end as he sat back down in front of her. "Let's talk about what a complete and utter _bitch_ you are! And yes, I realise shouting at someone who just lost a member of their family is a pretty shitty thing to do, but hey, guess what!? I don't fuckin' care!" He slammed his fist down on the table, causing both Judy and Akela to jump. But then he stopped, took a deep breath and remained silent for a few seconds. "You know, I was actually going to say that you can spout any number of degrading comments at me, but don't insult my mate. But she can take care of herself far better than I can! So, you know what I _actually_ care about? I care about taking shit from you for no reason!"

"You know the reason…" Akela said meekly.

"Because you're a fucking racist! That's not a reason. Oh fuck off with that look. Yeah, when we found out you were related to our victim we pulled your records. Saw how both you and your sister got swindled out of your parents' house by Saul "Swiper" Zorro and his partner George "Fantastic" Ocean. Classic foreclosure rescue scheme, taking advantage of two vulnerable kits who lost their parents tragically. And yes, by the time they got caught the deeds and money had all been spirited away. The banks were less than forgiving and the protection for those schemes didn't exist at the time. So, you lost your home and decided all foxes are assholes. Guess what? They swindled dozens of people out of their homes! They didn't all blame every single fox they saw. Hell, a few of them _WERE_ foxes! But that doesn't matter to you, does it? Easier to blame all foxes than admit you were a stupid fucking kid who got taken for a ride."

" _HOW DARE YOU!"_ Akela yelled.

"Well, your parents aren't here to shout some fucking sense into you so I might as well! I am sick to fucking death of being blamed for the world's problems! Can't pay your bills? Those foxes' fault for making me bet all my money! Lost your job? It's those damn foxes' fault for accepting to work twice as hard for half the pay! Let's not blame the bosses for paying an illegal wage to the poor bastards desperate enough to take it! I. AM. SICK. OF. IT!" Nick snarled, pounding the desk again and again. Judy wanted to go over and calm him down but this felt like something he needed to do.

And that's when she noticed the tears on his face.

"And yes, I was that kind of fox, I swindled and cheated all because of mammals like you who wouldn't give us a chance. You know my dad died because he got cancer and didn't have health insurance? Hell, at least two of the doctors nearly didn't treat him at all because they thought it was some sort of scam! But no, we couldn't afford the treatment, so I got to watch my father waste away to nothing by the time I was seven years old! And then a year or two later, when my mother had managed to get me to smile again and I finally felt brave enough to face the world again, some bastard prey kids put a muzzle on me for _DARING TO WANT TO MAKE FRIENDS!_ "

The only sound in the room was Nick's breathing, harsh and ragged. He stopped shuddering as he tried to catch his breath. Suddenly he stood up, sending the chair backwards a good foot.

"So yeah, I took all this personally. I figured that if the world was going to treat me like shit, I might as well be shit!" He took a few deep breaths. The next time he spoke, it was quiet, but with enough force to carry it across the room. "But then something amazing happened." He turned to Judy, eyes bloodshot and streaming with tears. "I met her." Judy just stood still as Nick approached, bent down and took her paws in his, staring directly into Judy's eyes.

"This crazy bunny managed to change my life in just under thirty-six hours. In that short amount of time, she managed to make the last 20 years of my life just something that happened in my past. It didn't need to make me the kind of mammal I was, I could choose to be better." He hung his head. "Then she hurt me. She showed her fear of predators and myself…"

"Nick…" Judy cut in, reaching out and stroking his cheek lovingly. She knew all of this: his father's death, the hurt he'd suffered, but he'd never talked about it like this, like it was an open wound. "I'm sorr…" she started to say, but a finger pressed to her lips silenced her.

"I'm not going to let her apologise for that though, because she already has," he said, smiling warmly at her. "That was the amazing thing you see. After that, she realised she was wrong and came to find me. Two hundred miles to apologise to some stupid fox who had pretty much given up life. She showed me again that mammals can change. She did, so why couldn't I?" He kissed Judy chastely, then pressed his nose against hers before withdrawing his paws and standing. Judy then realised she had been crying as well, tears staining her shirt. She tried to dry her eyes as Nick walked back to the table and leaned on it. "And then she did something even more amazing: she fell in love with me. Me, Nick Wilde! Cynic, damaged goods, damn near suicidal at some points, an absolute mess! I still can't believe it sometimes, like this is all some very long-winded practical joke. But then I see the way she looks at me, and while I feel awful for not living up to the expectations I perceive her to have for me, I just can't stop trying my best to meet and exceed those fantasies." He turned to Judy and flashed a smile filled with pure love, then turned back to Akela and continued. "And that's why, Akela, we're _**probably**_ not going to press charges for interfering with a crime scene. Mammals make mistakes, especially ones in stressful situations. They can also change for the better when they realise how stupid those mistakes are. You may not have actively impeded our investigation, but I think you don't believe Judy and I could do any good on this case because I'm a fox. Because I'm cunning, devious, and know how the criminal mind works. Those are some of the reasons why we _will_ find out what happened to your sister and bring the bastard who caused her death to justice, whether it be direct murder or because of supplying her with poisoned drugs. The rest is because Judy is an amazing detective. Perceptive, honest, courageous, intelligent, kind, diligent, all these things and more. This bunny has a passion for the law so immense I'm halfway convinced that if she could she'd marry the law instead of some damaged mess of a fox."

"Never in a million years you goddamn idiot!" Judy shouted before running over and grabbing her fiancé. Through all this, Akela simply watched Nick, the force of his speech making her silent.

"Heh, bunnies. So emotional, am I right?" he remarked, turning a smile on the wolf. Akela hung her head, obviously thinking about everything that Nick had said. The silence stretched for minutes, Akela simply staring, Nick and Judy comforting each other.

"You promise you'll find out what happened?" Akela finally uttered, looking up to the couple. "You promise you'll both find out who did this to my bahan? My sister?" she asked, realising the two would not be aware of that term of endearment.

"Yes," they said together before suppressing a chuckle. Akela sat there for a few seconds more before speaking again.

"You better not be lying to me…" Akela said, her face still angry but with a sadness to it.

"If I am, feel free to report me to Internal Affairs again, I won't hold it against you," Nick said. "OK, maybe I will."

"So, what now? Am I still under arrest or not?"

"We'll get back to you on that. Wait here," he ordered. Judy followed him out of the room, drying her eyes with her shirt sleeve as she did. She returned to the observation room. Fangmeyer and Wolford seemed to be embarrassed by what they had just seen; Judy swore she could see some blush in both their ears.

"Uh, wow Nick," Wolford finally said. "You made me look like a rank amateur."

"What can I say buddy," Nick said, his calm demeanour having returned in the few seconds walk between the two rooms. "When you got the hustling gift, it doesn't leave you."

"You think she's telling the truth?" Fangmeyer asked as she looked at Akela through the glass.

"I know she is. So, you think we can let her off? She's had a rough time of it," Nick said.

"Well, she did have intent to potentially interfere with an investigation," Fangmeyer responded.

"Yeah, potentially being the key word here," Judy piped up, the first words she had spoken in a few minutes. "Any lawyer she gets will jump on the fact that she was arrested before any crime took place. There's no breaking and entering here, I think the most would be trespassing, but with the key and all…"

"Yeah, I see what you're saying. Too much hassle for a case that will most likely get thrown out," Fangmeyer agreed. "Plus I'd feel like shit if I sent someone to prison the day she learned her sister died. What do you think Wolford?"

"Well, considering our shift ends in three hours, and doing all the paperwork, getting her booked and so forth would take at least four, I say let her go," said Wolford.

"I like a mammal who thinks practically," Fangmeyer said in response. "We'll sort it out guys, you head back home OK?"

"Thanks Fangs, you're a saint," Nick said, then yawned. "C'mon Fluff, let's head home."

"Nick, we can't, we gotta get that book!"

"Urgh, you're right. I don't like it but you're right." Judy was literally bouncing on her toes. They'd got a new lead in the case, which always got her brain working.

"C'mon Nick, I'll buy us another round of coffee!" Judy offered and sped off, leaving Nick in her wake. She was at their assigned car minutes ahead of him and waited impatiently as he sauntered up to it. It was then that the seed of guilt was planted. _Poor kit,_ she thought. _I really have to get another lesson in with Kate to make up for all these late nights._ Nick finally made his way to the car and stifled a yawn as he opened the door. As soon as the door closed, Judy went to gun the engine.

"AHEM!" Nick cleared his throat, interrupting her. She turned, wondering what he wanted, and saw him pointing to his seatbelt. "I'd like to keep my jaw intact tonight at least Jude." After buckling in, the partners sped off to the apartment. After waking up the super, they spent a few minutes searching until they found it in Bighana's bedside drawer: a small black book that would hopefully lead them to the truth of the case.


	13. Consolation

"Well that was a complete waste of fucking time!" Nick growled, chucking the journal to his desk in frustration. Judy picked it up and started thumbing through it for what must have been the twelfth time. It was just after 7am the next morning, and most of the night shift detectives had clocked off already. The partners had searched Bighana's apartment, found the journal, returned to study it and found absolutely nothing useful in it. While it was obviously to do with her solicitations, and the money she gained from them, she didn't write any names down. There were two ways she described her transactions. The first was just vague descriptions, which were at least entertaining. 'Lion with balding mane,' 'sloth who finished first,' and so on. Judy had been particularly amused, and frightened, by 'elephant trunk job,' and was daring herself to see what exactly that would entail on Zoogle at some point.

The other way mammals were described was with two simple letters, and these seemed to be used exclusively for mammals that paid for Bighana's services more than three times. The journal covered about seven months of transactions, and in that time, there were only about half a dozen entries that fit that pattern. LB, RF, GW, WH, TH, and DX. It seemed that the last day was filled with a couple of mammals ('Halitosis Hyena' and 'Short Giraffe'), followed by RF, TH, and WH.

 _Girl was busy that night_ , Judy thought as she sighed. She was also frustrated and tired, but was at least less cranky than Nick. On the one hand, he was starting to get on her nerves since she was working on the same amount of sleep as him. On the other hand, and she hated to bring this up, Nick was older, and not quite as fit as her. He could keep up with her physically – quite easily in fact, even keeping pace on their morning runs and was also improving his unarmed combat in their sparring, managing to pin her on a few occasions – but he always seemed to take a little longer to recover, have a bit more of the wind knocked out of him. He needed his rest more than she did.

"Nick, I'm sorry I'm driving you so hard here…" she started to say, when Nick raised an admonishing finger.

"It's not that Carrots…well, OK, the lack of sleep doesn't help. I just want to find out what's going on with this. We've got no leads, a hostile potential suspect, who I'm pretty sure didn't do it, and I'm pretty sure I've got a caffeine induced migraine," he said and collapsed back into his chair. Judy looked carefully at her mate and noticed he was looking rather haggard, dark rings under his eyes, struggling to keep them open.

She was pondering if she could swing letting Nick go home to get some rest when the office door opened and Captain Vines walked in, files and coffee in his arms. The wolf was halfway between the door and his own office when he finally noticed the pair, and seemed genuinely surprised to see them.

"Well, I know Bogo said you two were keen, but I didn't expect you in an hour before muster. Everything OK?" Vines asked.

"Oh, you know how it is sir, early to bed early to rise!" Judy said without thinking. Nick grumbled something along the lines of 'too damn early,' but didn't say it loud enough for Vines to hear. Nevertheless, the wolf raised an eyebrow. "You're in early too sir," Judy said, trying to deflect the topic. She knew they'd hammered the overtime these last few weeks and was hoping he wouldn't mind the budgetary requirement.

"Got some reports to go over since I went home early the other day Hopps," Vines said, raising the folder he was carrying. "Speaking of, I should get to work." He moved into his office and shut the door, leaving Nick and Judy to their work.

Half an hour later the wolf opened the door and stepped out. Judy looked up and smiled, though was greeted by a grimace before Vines left the office. The rest of the detectives started arriving for their shifts not long after that, each being greeted by a forced smile from Judy before she returned to her work. As 8am rolled around they set about their various tasks…right up until they were all startled by a horrendous snore. Every mammal in the office stared over to Judy's and Nick's desks and found the fox had somehow managed to fall asleep in his chair.

 _CRAP!_ Judy thought while her colleagues started to chuckle. She panicked and tried to wake her sleeping partner by various means: throwing paper, tapping his paws, even vigorously shaking him.

"Damn Judy, I guess it's true what they say about bunnies if he's so tired after a night at home with you. Know any single bucks?" Sally shouted across the office, causing the snickers to become snorts of laughter as most of the detectives tried to stop themselves. Only Carrot Ironpaw seemed to be ignoring the comments, which elicited a small sigh from Angua.

"Nick, wake up! You're going to get us in trouble!" Judy shouted to no avail. She was about to run to the water cooler to empty the entire supply over her partner's head when a small, yet somehow powerful cough stopped her. The entire office went silent, every detective going rigid before slowly turning towards the door. She followed suit and saw Vines standing with his arms crossed, his face set in stone, hard and unmoving.

"Hopps," he said, and gestured with an extended finger.

"Sorry sir, I'll wake him up and…" Judy began, but was silenced by an upraised palm.

"I said your name Detective, not your partner's. Let the poor mammal sleep and come with me," Vines said simply and exited the room. Glancing around to the other detectives, they all had returned to their work, not meeting her eye, except for Angua, who mouthed 'good luck.' Swallowing, Judy made for the door with one last look back at her sleeping fiancé.

"Follow me Hopps," Vines ordered as she joined him on the balcony above the main entrance to the precinct. Judy glanced down and caught a wave from Clawhauser and responded in kind as she followed her superior. Shortly, she found herself outside Bogo's office, and Vines entered without knocking. Judy was surprised; this would have normally gotten angry shouts from Bogo, but when she followed Vines in, all he got was a curt nod.

"Sit down Hopps, we have something to discuss," Bogo said, gesturing to one of the two chairs in front of him. Judy jumped up quickly, while Vines sat down with a grunt.

"Back still hurting Sam?" Bogo asked.

"It's all this bending down to pick up Junior. Little kit loves to bury himself under everything."

"Look after yourself, you'll do yourself and Sybil no favours by throwing it out."

"She's got me going to a chiropractor in a few days."

"Good, try not to swear at the poor mammal who has to crack your back," Bogo said, ending that line of conversation. He suddenly turned to Judy and huffed. "Hopps, do you know why I've called you in here?"

"Uhm, because of Nick sleeping on the job?" Judy responded, not entirely convinced.

"That's tangentially linked to it yes, but fundamentally wrong," Bogo answered before looking at a folder he had on his desk. "Do you know how much overtime you've clocked up in the few weeks you've been a detective?"

"Sir is this a budget thing? We can stop putting in for the hours…"

"DAMMIT HOPPS!" Bogo yelled, slamming his fist down on the desk, causing the rabbit to squeak. Even after almost 3 years on the force she would never get used to that. Vines just looked bored, unfazed by the sudden noise. "This is not to do with the overtime budget! We have plenty to spare for when people need it. What concerns me and your captain," Bogo paused, gesturing to Vines, "is you and your partner's health. In the past few weeks you've been working this case, you've almost clocked another two in overtime!"

"Sir, with all due respect my health is fine, and Nick is just a little tired."

"Bloody exhausted I think you'll find Hopps!" Vines said, finally joining in the conversation. "And he's not the only one. You're on your last legs too."

"But too damn stubborn to admit it," Bogo added, driving the point home.

"But sir..."

"But sir nothing Hopps!" Bogo shouted. "An exhausted detective is no use to me! They make mistakes, they miss clues, they get themselves killed because they can't react to danger quickly enough! And what use do I have for a dead rabbit and fox!? I'm a vegetarian Hopps!"

"But sir, we have to follow leads!" Judy shot back, feeling she was under attack for simply doing her job.

"Of course you do. But how many of those leads would have been lost in this case if you'd gone home and had a good night's rest?" Bogo replied. "From what I can see, none of them! Hell, you might have caught a couple of them quicker! And then there's the matter of last night's adventure, which I notice you did not inform your superior about."

Judy cursed herself under her breath. She knew she should have told Vines about last night as soon as he got in, but for some reason she'd just made 'trotted out' a clichéd saying. She wasn't sure why she'd done it.

Reading her like the open book she was, Vines cut in, "I found out from the overnight reports Hopps, and I can only guess you deciding not to tell me straight away was a lapse in judgement, probably caused by your own exhaustion."

Judy knew he was right, but she still bristled at the accusation. "My judgement is fine sir!" she asserted, louder than she anticipated. She fought the urge to cover her mouth.

"I am unsure about that. And what about Wilde? How's his judgement?" Bogo asked.

The question blindsided Judy. No one was going to give Nick shit on her watched. But before she could interject, Bogo raised a massive hoof to stop her speaking.

"I can tell you how his judgement is. It's pretty much impeccable." The compliment derailed Judy's thought process, causing her silence to continue, which Bogo leapt on. "Except with regards to one mammal…"

The way the sentence trailed off meant Judy knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Sir, I was under the impression that my relationship with Detective Wilde was something you had no issues with," she said, trying to stop herself from growling. One of Bogo's ears flicked and his face became softer.

"I may have given you the wrong impression over my last statement Detective," he finally said after coughing. "I have received no reports of your relationship interfering with your work, even if you two do occasionally steal into the back stairwell for a quick make-out session." Judy's eyes grew wide as embarrassment surged through her mind. "We had a new security camera installed there two weeks ago. I would say I'm surprised you haven't noticed, but considering what you were doing…" the buffalo said, pulling at his shirt collar. Judy noticed Vines starting to scratch the back of his head. "ANYWAY!" Bogo exclaimed, scaring the awkward moment off. "What I mean to say is that Wilde worships the ground you walk on Hopps, if you hadn't noticed. That fox would follow you into the gates of hell without a second thought. Hell, I'm pretty damn sure that if you told him to jump off a cliff, then stop halfway down, he'd figure out some way to break the laws of physics."

Judy's head was reeling from her boss providing such a critical analysis of her relationship. She knew Nick adored her in every sense of the word, and the feeling was mutual, but…was it damaging him? Panic must have shown on her face when Bogo started snapping his fingers together to get her attention.

"Don't mistake this as criticism Hopps. You push Wilde to be the best mammal he can be, and he is one of the most supportive mammals I've seen in a committed relationship. However, I just need you to be aware that because he adores you, he never wants to get in your way."

"But sir," Judy said, catching her breath, "Nick doesn't just bend over when I say, he argues back, he makes snarky comments! Well OK, he always makes snarky comments anyway, but still!"

"Yes Hopps, but how often has he agreed to the course of action you set out? If there's an argument between you two, how often do you win?"

"Not always…" Judy mumbled. Although true, the answer stung.

"About 90% of the time if I'm any judge," Vines said. "Hopps, you're running yourself ragged, and dragging your partner down with you."

"And moreover, there's the incident with Bhrast Akela last night," Bogo said, opening another folder on his desk. "I'm sure you don't need me to go into detail with this, but suffice it to say, that can't have been easy for Wilde, and I get the feeling he only put himself through that to get what you needed on this case. It _was_ needed of course, but it seems to me that if he had any other way, he would not have wanted to set foot in a room with her again. I'm glad he did though, as it shows he can separate his work life from his personal life, but it can't have been easy for him to deal with on top of being physically and mentally exhausted."

Judy simply nodded. Nick wasn't a fighter by nature. Oh, he could take and dish out the punishment when needed, physically and mentally, but he would always prefer to take time to outthink a problem rather than tackling it head on.

"Hopps," Vines said, interrupting her thoughts. "Do you have anything on this case right now that honestly can't wait two days?"

Judy's first reaction was to start saying of course they did, but it wasn't the truth. All they had to go on now was Bighana's journal, which would most likely mean talking to her _colleagues_ to gain insight. Hell, in truth they still weren't 100% sure this was a murder. It could still turn out to be death caused by a bad batch of pounce. Even if that was the case they would have to track it down, but being exhausted would do them no good. Reluctantly, she resigned herself to her fate.

"No sir," she admitted.

"OK then," Bogo said, closing the folder. "Then you're taking today and tomorrow off. Unpaid. You banked enough overtime to cover it."

"But what if something comes up on the case sir?" Judy asked, not wanting to shirk responsibility on her first case as a detective.

"I'll have the other detectives look into it with any time they can spare, though they've all got their own caseload to deal with," Vines said. "If anything comes up we'll be sure to call you if necessary. Sound fair?"

"Yes sir. Thank you sir," Judy said, a wan smile coming across her face.

"Well that settles that. Now go get your fiancé and get him some sleep. Take your car from the motor pool if you think you can manage it."

"I can sir," Judy said, but yawned slightly as she did so. The ability to take a nap in her future without worrying about the case too much was too good to pass up.

"Good, now get out of here. See you Friday," Bogo said, turning to Vines. "While you're here Sam, perhaps we can discuss your other cases…I told you to go Hopps," he said, turning back to Judy who took the hint and exited the office. She made her way back to the detectives' offices, and got there just in time to stop Dobby from drawing a moustache on Nick's muzzle with permanent marker. After another few minutes she finally managed to rouse her fox.

"Whuzzat? Jdy? I ws jst retin' m'eyes…" Nick managed to slur out.

"I know Slick, come on, it's quitting time," she said, leading him out of the offices. "See you guys Friday," she called out, waving to her fellow detectives who seemed to perk up when she said they'd be back. Judy led the sleepwalking Nick down to the motor pool and drove them home. She managed to get Nick undressed and into bed, where he fell asleep immediately.

 _God they're right, I've been running him ragged the last few weeks, the dumb fox,_ she thought. Though saying that, she turned to the mirror they had in their bedroom and saw she was pretty much as haggard as Nick was, circles under her eyes and all. She sighed and went back over all their arguments, debates, and disagreements in her mind, and truthfully? Nick did seem to lose more than his fair share.

 _Idiot's too much of a sweetheart to deny me anything._ With that said, she decided on a course of action. Figuring she could probably last another couple of hours without a nap, she retrieved her keys and wallet, and quietly closed the apartment door on her way out.

* * *

Just under two hours later, Nick was awoken by the sound of swearing coming from nearby. He sat bolt upright assuming he was getting chewed out by Vines or Bogo, and found himself naked in his own bed. While trying to work out how this could have come to be, another bout of shouting, with the addition of 'sweet cheese and crackers!' made him leap from the bed and open the bedroom door. Only to find his mate…or rather his mate's butt, sticking out from behind the television.

"Fluff? You OK?" he asked. Suddenly Judy yelled and jumped, causing the TV to start a slow, inexorable fall from its stand. Nick, having gotten used to having to wake up to full alertness due to a few years on the streets, ran over and managed to stop the 40-inch set from slamming into the floor. He carefully righted it just as Judy managed to back out from behind it, covered in sweat.

"Jesus Nick, you scared the life out of me. You know we rabbits are prone to heart attacks, right?" Judy said, brushing dust off her clothes.

" _You're_ prone to heart attacks? I'm the one who nearly had two in as many minutes. What's going on…and why are we at home at 11 in the morning? And why am I naked?"

"Well, we kinda got mandatory unpaid leave."

"What!? Shit Judy, I'm sorry. I guess falling asleep on the job did it for us," Nick said, his eyes downcast, as if _he_ was to blame for this.

"Nick wait!" Judy shouted, waving her arms in front of her. "Nick it's fine! We're back on Friday, it's just…well, we've been… _I've_ been pushing us too hard. I'm sorry…"

"Judy, what are you apologising for?"

"Nick come on, you were practically dead this morning, all because I had to keep working on a case with barely any leads! I've been going full steam ahead without taking the time we need to recharge or just sit and think about things. It was getting dangerously close to damaging our health."

"My health you mean..." Nick corrected, his voice full of sadness.

 _Goddammit he still thinks this is his fault!_ she thought and tried to stop him from going down that route. "Nick, I said _our_ health. I'm exhausted too, but I was too stubborn to admit it. So, I brought you home so we could rest. Please Nick, I need to own up to what I was doing. I'm sorry, please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive…"

"Yes, there is Nick. I put our health and jobs on the line because I worked us to the brink of collapse! Just let me accept the blame for this so I can learn, please?"

Nick remained silent for a few seconds, his face betraying the conflicted emotions within. Finally, he sighed and answered, "Fine Fluff, I forgive you." Judy smiled back at her mate and nodded. "That still doesn't explain why I'm naked though."

"Well I had to give myself some fun before putting you to bed…"

"Heh, you'd think you'd get enough of all this by now," Nick said, his ego being gently stroked. "So, what was all the noise anyway Fluff?"

"Oh right! Sorry about that, but I guess this is as good a time as any. I got you a little apology present," she explained, pointing to an innocuous black box under the TV.

"Is…is that an XFox console?"

"Yep!"

"Judy, we can't afford that…"

"Actually, we can Slick! Our pay jumps from 41,000 as beat officers to 58,000 as first grade detectives. Plus, all the overtime we clocked up…"

"How much did we clock up?"

"Uhm, almost two weeks' worth…"

"Jesus, no wonder I'm so tired. But still Fluff, this is way too much for an apology!" Nick said, torn between accepting the gift to please Judy and boxing it back up for a refund.

"Then I guess you won't want these either then?" Judy replied, her voice taking on a teasing tone. She passed over to the couch where a plastic bag lay among the detritus of gaming console packaging and brought out four plastic cases. She handed them to Nick who just looked down at them.

" _Halo: Wombat Evolved? Deers of War? Wolfenstein: The New Pawder?_ Huh, all the shooting games Fluff? Nice," Nick said as he looked through the first three games. While he had grown up on PlayStable consoles, Nick had been considering jumping to XFox simply because of the name, and it seemed to have more of the types of games he enjoyed, especially shooters. While she knew simulated shooting was very different from real life (despite what Jack Tomcat said), Nick seemed to have a knack for the real thing as well as the simulated variety. _"Grand Theft Torro_ Judy? Really? A game where you play as a psychopathic criminal bull? Did it burn the fur on your fingers when you touched it?"

"Only slightly," Judy said, crossing her arms. "What? You don't like them?"

"I love them Judy, thank you," Nick said. The previous sadness in his voice had been replaced with happiness at the thoughtful gifts his mate had gotten him. "What about you though? You like games too, it's no fair for me to get all this."

"Don't worry Slick, I picked up something for me too," Judy assured, going to another bag. She brought out two more game cases and held them up for Nick to see. She also neglected to tell him about the other gift she was working on with Kate, but felt now wasn't the time.

"Huh, _Mass Effect: Dromedary._ A game series where you play a galaxy-trekking super cop camel. I should have known," Nick said, rolling his eyes at the box while Judy just smirked back at him.

"And finally, I got something for us both," she said, taking out one final game box and a second control pad. " _Street Biter Five_!"

"Carrots, you always beat me at Street Biter…"

"But I haven't played this one, so you might stand a chance against me this time. Hell, if you manage to win a few rounds, I might give you a special prize," Judy replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Well, now I'm sold," Nick remarked, his spirits, and other parts, rising.

Judy had, in the end, gone to take a nap while she left Nick to finish setting up the XFox. A few hours later she found Nick engrossed in _Wolfenstein_ , blasting Nazi wolves to bits with dual wielded shotguns with a relaxed grin on his face. She joined him on the couch and watched her mate play, silently thanking Bogo for the forced time off. After a while Nick began to tire again, and handed off the controller to Judy who decided to give _Grand Theft Torro_ a try. Nick managed to nap on the couch while she played, only to be woken soon after as the bunny started screaming at the screen as she fled a scene of carnage that she'd left at a bank robbery. More carnage followed as the rabbit ran over pedestrians in a mad dash for freedom, occasionally letting out a spray of bullets to take down her pursuers. The entire scene started to make Nick think he had to keep an eye on his fiancée next time they got into a high-speed chase.

After that they settled in for a few games of _Street Biter Five_ , trading blows and trying to find their preferred characters. Nick ended up selecting a tall, blonde rabbit character with powerful legs, wearing nought but a one-piece swimsuit, Bunny White. Judy meanwhile gravitated towards Ken Foxtrot, a clone/pallet swap of the series main character, Ryu Cooper, a martial arts racoon. They did end up making a wager, coming up with their own version of the game called _Strip Fighter_. Nick was at a natural disadvantage as he hadn't bothered to get dressed after Judy went for her nap, so Judy conceded a few victories she probably wouldn't have normally.

After going a few rounds on the game and then a _round_ on the couch, they generally just relaxed. They called it an early night and rested the next day as well. Around three in the afternoon on Thursday they decided to get a late lunch at one of their favourite cafes.

"God, I think we needed this Nick," Judy said as she lounged on their outside seating, sipping at her carrot and kale smoothie.

"I definitely did, but it's nice to see you approve too Judes," Nick said as he finished off his panini, devouring the cheese and turkey pepperoni with gusto. "Reckon we could swing another day since tomorrow's Friday?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"I doubt it, just wished we had more information to go on so we won't be going nuts tomorrow," Judy replied. She yawned slightly, still a little tired from the stress. "Come on, let's head back and see if you can finish _Wolfenstein_ so I can get started on _Mass Effect._

However, just as Nick had paid for their meal (and because this is how things work in literary narratives), Judy's phone rang. She looked at the screen and her ears dropped as she recognised it as Bogo's office number. "Chief Bogo sir, what's wrong?" Judy asked immediately upon answering, knowing that Bogo wouldn't have called them unless it had something to do with their case.

"Hopps, is Wilde with you or is that a stupid question?" Bogo said.

"Yes sir, we just finished lunch."

"Good, how soon can you two get to Precinct 26?"

"Precinct 26? That's in Sahara Square sir."

"I'm aware of that Hopps. You and Wilde need to get there as soon as possible."

"Why sir?"

"Because one of their detectives was working a death and the morgue just passed the details along to us. A female wolf, who died of arsenic poisoning, most likely ingested while snorting pounce."

"What? Are you serious sir?"

"Yes Hopps, what we were treating as a mysterious death is now a hunt for a suspected double murderer. I need you to stop them before they become a serial killer."


	14. Newsworthy

It was a week later and things had only gotten worse. As soon as they got the call, Nick and Judy raced over to Sahara Square and spoke to the detectives who had been assigned the case of the dead wolf. Unfortunately, there was still very little to go on aside from the victim's identity. Shelly Lupowitz, a 19-year-old timber wolf, came from a foster care system that had landed her with two abusive foster families in a row, one of them sexually. After running away, she ended up on the streets at fifteen and turned to prostitution to feed her addiction to pounce. Even before she died, her body wasn't in the best of conditions. The coroner's report indicated a body that was closer to forty than it was to a teenager's, showing severe damage to her heart, lungs and kidneys. In fact, if she hadn't died from the arsenic poisoning, it seemed that she was well on her way to an overdose anyway. That hadn't stopped Judy and Nick taking the case however; even as a pair of junior detectives, it seemed being a part of Precinct One's detective squad gave them some political clout. Not that the Precinct 26 detectives were that keen on investigating a prostitute's death in the first place, deeming it beneath them.

That all changed with the third death yesterday.

Lorena Vuk, a 21-year-old who had graduated a month ago, with top honours, from Zootopian University's journalism course. She was also the niece of Garret Vuk, founder and chair-mammal of Zuber. She was found floating dead in the Tundratown ice flow transportation network. At first it was thought to be nothing but a tragic accident, but when the autopsy report returned drugs and arsenic, the press latched onto it and the case was news across the city. Two previous deaths and no one cared, but the supposedly wholesome niece of one of Zootopia's richest? That was not just news, it was scandalous news. Add to that the fact that Zootopia's newest _hotshot_ detectives had been assigned to the case and it had become a minefield of press and politics. Garret Vuk had heavily funded Leodore Lionheart's re-election campaign, after all.

"Unbelievable!" Judy exclaimed as Nick drove them away from the Vuk family home. She was reading the latest news headlines on the various news sites. "Listen to these Nick," she said as she flipped through several headlines, "'Dead Niece of Zuber Found a Prostitute?' 'Vuk Pounced On!' God, oh and this one. 'Vuk Whorror Show!'"

"Lemme guess, Daily Tail?"

"Got it in one. I mean, this is horrible! Not only because no one cared until some famous person is tangentially linked, but they don't even spare a thought for the poor girl's family!"

"Welcome to the tabloid press, Fluff. All the writing ability of a LiveFurnal writer with none of the subtlety," Nick said with a sigh.

"I guess," Judy replied, sighing as well. The partners had just spent an agonising day interviewing everyone that was associated with Lorena, starting with the girl's family. She was survived by her parents and younger brother, and they were all hurting. They had so many questions, and unfortunately, Nick and Judy didn't have the answers. They had no idea that their daughter was a prostitute or that she took drugs. Nick and Judy also had their own questions, and quite frankly, what the family told them about Lorena didn't match up. Before heading over, they did their research and determined that the girl was not prostitute material. Not only did she graduate valedictorian from ZU, but the family also had no reports of domestic abuse. That didn't always mean there wasn't any of course – some people were good at hiding that sort of thing – but Nick said he wasn't getting that vibe from the family, and Judy always trusted his word on things like that.

They then moved on to friends and acquaintances, and found that Lorena wasn't in the habit of hanging out with drug dealers, users, or prostitutes. Hell, the worst drug most of her friends had tried was a little bit of nip, which was in the process of becoming legal in the city anyway since it had its medical uses and, unlike alcohol, tended to calm most mammals down.

They were down to the last of their current leads and Judy's frustration was growing with every dead end. Maybe they'd find something out at their last interview for the day: Lorena's college roommate, Jackie Blou, another journalism student who currently resided on the border of Savannah Central and Downtown.

"So, what have we got theory wise?" Nick asked as he drove towards the apartment. They'd tried to call Jackie but weren't getting a response. She wasn't currently employed anywhere, so they decided to try their luck at her apartment. To kill time, they played one of their investigative games, trying to figure out the motives of their prey. It helped them bounce ideas off each other and kept the facts fresh in their minds.

"Number one, typical serial killer with atypical method of murder," Judy stated. When the possibility surfaced, she'd read up on some case histories involving serial killers from Zootopia's past. Nothing recent, but there were more than she bargained for. "But it seems like a very slow way to kill someone if they're doing it for the thrill of the kill." Nick nodded in agreement. "Plus, serial killers do this for one of two reasons typically: to either prove they're smarter than the police, or they have a compulsion to kill. They leave riddles or other clues because of that, clues that help us form patterns. This guy…"

"Or gal," Nick interrupted.

"Or gal," Judy conceded. "They just dump the bodies."

"All the victims have been wolves though, and two were prostitutes. In addition, they were all female, and all died of arsenic poisoning via inhalation. That's a pattern," Nick said.

"Yep, but two of them were prostitutes and one was a college graduate with no history of drug usage or any other serious crimes, so it breaks the pattern."

"Okay, so next theory?"

"Number two, a really bad batch of pounce cut with arsenic doing the rounds. But I would have thought we'd have seen more cases of poisoning if that was the case." Again, Nick nodded. They'd checked for any more drug-related deaths and nothing more had been reported that fit the profile in the time frame. The only thing they found was a lemming overdosing on horse tranquilisers.

"And third?"

"Aliens," Judy responded.

"Aliens?"

"Aliens. It makes about as much sense as everything else so far," Judy said as she shrugged.

"Urgh, our first case _would_ be the one that got all the media attention as well," Nick said as they neared their destination. "Though I guess that was gonna happen anyway."

"Yeah. Apparently, Lionheart's been talking to Bogo every day, which of course means he's taking it out on the officers in the bullpen."

"I miss Buffalo Butt, but I'm so glad we have Vines as a buffer between us and him on this," Nick said. Judy silently agreed with the increased media attention; Bogo was under pressure to get results, which meant they were too. Bogo tried his best not to pressure his subordinates, but sometimes his frustration came out. Vines though was more than capable of handling it, having put himself up as a barrier between all the outside influences on the case. "Just do your job as best as you can," he told them. "Not 'as fast as you can,' just 'as best as you can.'" That calmed their nerves quite a bit, but they still felt some pressure.

"You know what annoys me the most? Nobody gave a shit about the case when we were looking at Bighana or Shelly, but some rich guy's relative dies, and suddenly everyone's up in arms over it. Hell, even Hunter and Coulton at Precinct 26 tried to take the case off us!" Nick said. "Did you see the look on their faces after Bogo chewed them out for almost an hour? And that was after Vines had shouted them out of the office!" He smiled at the memory of the rhino and elephant being chased out of the room by a wolf a quarter their size. "Oh, to have been a fly on the wall in their offices," he finished, smiling madly as he parked outside the apartment where their mammal of interest lived.

"Nick, you personify schadenfreude, you know that?" Judy remarked, throwing a mock glare at her partner.

"Hmm, 'happiness derived from the suffering of others?'" Nick said throwing out a very loose translation of the word. "Yep, well anyone except you and mom, obviously."

"Aww, and I was hoping you'd go out and buy a riding crop later," Judy said as she exited the car. Her fox soon followed, and she delivered a quick slap to her rump that caused him to pause and gulp.

She waited a few seconds for Nick to adjust his trousers as they entered the building, an old apartment building on the outskirts of Downtown. Judy would have commented on its rather run-down nature, but compared to the Savannah Sunrise apartments Bighana lived in, it was a palace. Stepping past multiple mammals, they headed to the elevator and went up to the seventh floor, where apartment 709 was located and hopefully so was Jackie Blou.

Arriving at the door, sized for a mammal their size, Judy's ears couldn't really discern much sound from within, the door seemingly thick enough to mute most sounds. Though she thought she could hear something, a fan perhaps? As her ears twitched, so did Nick's nose, trying to see if he could pick up a scent.

"I think someone's home," Judy said, to which Nick shrugged, apparently unable to pick up any distinctive scent from the residence. He explained previously to Judy that this happened to someone's home. Spend enough time there and a place would positively _fug_ of a person, to the point where their own scent just became part of the background smell. Judy took the initiative and knocked on the door. "Jackie Blou? Detective Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, ZPD. We have some questions. Please answer the door," she called out in a strong but not overly loud voice.

No answer.

She tried again, knocking louder, not willing to give up on another lead so quickly. Suddenly, a cry came out from behind the door, loud and clear.

"NONONO GET OFF ME YOU BASTARD!"

"MS BLOU! ZPD! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?" Judy shouted and withdrew her tranquiliser pistol. Nick had already done the same and shifted to the left of the door, hinge side, while Judy took the right.

"ARGH NOOOO!"

"On three, Fluff!" Nick said, getting ready. Judy nodded and adjusted her stance. Normal police procedure for entering a potential hostile home was for one cop to bust the door down, while the others ran in afterwards single file, minimising the risk to multiple officers. Nick and Judy however, having had too many times where they needed to breach a door sized for mammals ten times their size, had come up with an unofficial 'all or nothing' approach: kicking the door at the same time. Their combined leg strength was usually enough to get the job done, though Nick would admit that Judy's strong legs did most of the work.

"One, two, THREE!" Nick finally barked and the partners went into sync, standing in front of the door and delivering a perfectly timed double kick to it. "ZPD, HANDS IN THE AIR!" they both screamed…only to find nothing waiting for them. No armed perps, which was always good, but there wasn't even a screaming resident who just hadn't heard them because they were napping.

No, what lay beyond the door was a simple, lived-in, slightly messy studio apartment, where towards the back, a pangolin sat in front of a computer, clad in pyjamas and typing furiously away at a keyboard while wearing huge headphones. Judy and Nick both rolled their eyes and holstered their weapons, glad they didn't have to use them, but annoyed that they were being ignored by the pangolin. Judy decided to plod over to the mammal, figuring she'd be slightly more receptive to a female turning up in her room uninvited rather than a male. She stood for a few seconds, waiting to see if Jackie would eventually notice her. After waiting several seconds, her patience ran out and she shook the chair.

"Hm...wha? JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" Jackie yelled as she finally noticed Judy and Nick. Her arms flailed as she just managed to stop her chair from toppling over. She then tried to cover her private areas, not realising that the pyjamas she wore were more than adequate at covering her. "Please don't hurt me, take anything except the computer!"

"Ms. Blou, we're Detectives Hopps and Wilde…" Judy began before being interrupted.

"What!?" Jackie yelled, obviously not hearing what was being said. A few seconds later, Nick walked up and removed the headphones from her ears.

" _I said_ , _"_ Judy began again after getting her frustration under control. "Ms. Jackie Blou? I'm Detective Judy Hopps, and this is Detective Nick Wilde."

"What the hell are you doing in my home?" the terrified pangolin asked, not unreasonably.

"We knocked and heard a scream, so we thought you might be in trouble," Nick answered.

"Oh, that was just a heated game of _Cougarwatch_ ," Jackie said, pointing to her monitor, which revealed a multitude of colourful characters, including one angel-winged cougar being shot in the head by a shotgun-wielding Grim Reaper.

"Ah huh," Judy said, her attention waning, though Nick seemed to take an interest in the game. "Could we have a few minutes of your time?"

"Could you give me a few minutes? The round is almost…no, I suppose not," Jackie said, seeing Judy's expression. "Please have a seat," she said, pointing to her couch. The detectives did so as their host shut down her computer and then joined them. "So, how can I help you detectives?"

Unsure how to word it nicely, Judy decided outright bluntness would work. "I assume you're aware of the death of your college roommate, Lorena Vuk?"

"Yeah..." Jackie replied, looking downcast. "Poor Lorena, she was a bitch but she didn't deserve that." Nick and Judy glanced at each other. Judy decided to let Nick do most of the talking, the fox being more of a people-mammal and all. She tilted her head towards Jackie, giving him the go ahead.

"I take it you two didn't get along?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You could say that. I mean, we were civil enough, but she never took me seriously…"

"And why's that?"

"She said that I was wasting my time on a journalism course, what with wanting to be a gaming journalist. I figured getting the degree would help."

"Hmm," Nick said, nodding as Judy made notes. "Tell me, do you know anyone who wanted to hurt her?"

"No, she was a bitch, but a popular one. Even the people she rubbed the wrong way would point out she was probably the most talented student on the course. She was always good at getting connections, if you know what I mean."

Judy and Nicked looked at each other, not quite sure where the pangolin was taking this. "Could you elaborate?" Nick asked.

"Wow. Not on the vice squad, huh?" Jackie chuckled.

"Less passive aggressiveness, more answers please," Judy said before she could stop herself, her voice edged with annoyance.

"I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"No worries, just answer the question please," Nick cut in before their interview turned into a series of stuttered apologies.

"Well, Lorena used to…you know…give favours for sources."

"Sexual favours I presume by the blush threatening to overrun you?" Nick asked, giving Jackie an out from having to say it herself.

"Yeah, not to the teachers, but whenever we had to get a story she was always able to get someone into bed to give her the best leads."

"And you know this how exactly?"

"Because she used to bring them back to our room all the damn time. Male, female, pred, prey. If it had a pulse, Lorena would bring them to the room. It's why I spent damn near $500 on noise cancelling headphones, if you get me."

"I get the picture," Nick said.

"I mean, some of those screams…"

"And now you've added footnotes, thank you," Nick said, raising a paw to prevent any more descriptions.

For the next half hour, Nick rattled through a standard set of questions. Where were you at this time, on this date? Do you have witnesses? Is that a limited-edition _Darth Preyder_ figure on your shelf? (OK maybe not so standard). Nothing seemed out of the ordinary aside from the description of Lorena using her body to get ahead, which seemed very out of character from what everyone else had told her.

"So, thank you for answering our questions, Ms. Blou," Nick said. "Can I ask how life outside of university is treating you? Lined up a job yet?"

"I've been out of school for a month! Unlike some mammals, I didn't sell my body for a job opportunity."

"Yes, you claimed Lorena used sexual favours to get work done at school. Now you're saying the same for her getting a job?" He sighed. "Not to put too fine of a point on it, but do you have any proof of those claims? It's just nothing of what you've described has been said by anyone else…"

"Yeah, she was good at putting up a good front, but yes, I have proof!" Jackie said and jumped up from her seat. She sprinted over to her computer and motioned for the detectives to follow. Plopping down on her chair, she opened up a folder marked 'Bitch.'"

"Subtle," Nick commented.

"In the last few months before graduation I finally had enough of Lorena's antics, so I put a webcam in our dorm and had it record every night. I dunno what I thought I was gonna do with it, maybe sell it to that porn site, Fang Bros." Nick and Judy glanced at each other, Judy raising an eyebrow in shock while Nick shrugged at her expression.

"Here we go, this was the one just before graduation!" Jackie exclaimed as she opened the file. It started playing, showing fairly high-quality footage of a standard two bed college dorm. On one side, a figure, presumably Jackie, was practically buried in the blankets. The other bed was empty, but didn't remain that way long. After playing for a few seconds, a light from outside the camera's view shone slightly, and two shadows appeared in the light, presumably outlined by the lights in the dorm hallway. It quickly went dark again, then the two mammals walked in. One was Lorena, quickly taking off her clothes. She was followed by a much shorter mammal, a beaver.

"Wait…" Nick muttered as the video progressed and the lewd acts on screen played out, while Jackie, still huddled in the blankets, tried to curl in on herself. "Pause it and go back a little…. Yeah stop!" he barked. "Hey Fluff, that guy look familiar?"

Judy looked at the screen, thanking God for cheap but high definition webcams. At first, she didn't recognise the mammal straight away, but then it clicked. "That's the ZNN reporter! Woodrow Buckle!"

"Damn right it is! How old is this video?" Nick asked Jackie.

"This was the last week of school, so about five or six weeks?" she answered.

"Huh, and you say she was doing this to get a job at ZNN?"

"I guess. I only heard so much of the conversation after they finished…I got good at not listening."

"If this was happening regularly, why didn't you report it to the school?" Judy asked.

"Cos Lorena was sleeping with the Resident Assistant of the dorms and she always vouched for her. That's why I was going to upload it on the Internet."

"I think it's about time I point out that not only is it illegal to film someone in an educational facility without their consent, but that there is also such a thing as revenge porn laws," Judy said, looking Jackie right in the eye.

"Uhm…" the pangolin said, becoming flustered.

"How about this, you give us a copy of the files you have, and we don't press charges for something you haven't got around to doing yet? Sound like a deal?" Nick asked. Jackie jumped at the chance and handed over a USB with the video files. While Nick handled that, Judy checked the time, which showed it had just become 2pm. They still had a decent amount of time to chase up this new lead. After saying their goodbyes and giving Jackie their contact info, the detectives made their way back to their car, where Judy reached for the radio.

"Dispatch, this is Sierra-Oscar-Five. Can you put in a call to ZNN and ask for the location of one Woodrow Buckle? We need to talk to him."

"Dispatch to Sierra-Oscar-Five, don't need to bother Judy!" Clawhauser said. "He's at Zootopia University reporting on the death of your latest girl. He's doing a live report right now!"

"Huh, convenient," Judy commented.

"That's just around the corner, Fluff. If we hurry, we can catch him."

Nick regretted those words five minutes later, as Judy had taken them as challenge to get to Zootopia University as fast as possible, traffic laws be damned. Siren wailing, she slalomed in and out of traffic, somehow missing everything that conspired to block her progress, including a baby carriage (sans baby but with fruit), a plate glass window, and a chicken cart. Nick had never seen a plate glass window being carried across a street in his entire life, but there one was, narrowly being avoided as Judy flicked the wheel.

One minor heart attack later, the pair stopped outside the public stairs leading up to Zootopia University, the modern-art deco styling of the main campus fitting in perfectly with the rest of Downtown. Parked next to the ZNN news van just near the steps, they exited and started to look for their quarry, when suddenly, their quarry found them.

"Detectives, detectives!" a voice called out, causing Nick and Judy to turn, and subsequently smile as Woodrow Buckle and his camera-mammal appeared. Puffing slightly as he came to a stop, Buckle went right to work. "I'm here live on the scene with Detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde of the ZPD! Detectives, what can you tell us about the case of the death of Lorena Vuk?"

Nick and Judy glanced at each other, Judy was about to speak when Nick cut in.

"In fact, Woody," Nick said, taking the lead, "we're here to talk to a potential witness and-or suspect!"

"How exciting! Can you tell us who?"

"Uh Carrots, you wanna to take this one?" Nick said hesitantly, realising he had just said something really stupid.

"Mr Buckle," Judy said as she breathed out, letting her frustration with her partner for throwing police procedure to the wind ebb for now. "Please turn off the camera, we have matters to discuss."

"No can do Detective Hopps! The public have a right to know what is happening!"

"Mr Buckle, I repeat, _we_ have _matters_ to _discuss_. Please turn off the camera."

"Are you trying to silence the free press Detective?"

"Jesus Christ…." Judy sighed as she put a paw to her forehead. "Mr Buckle, please turn off the camera or you will be booked for obstruction of justice."

"Wait…but why?"

"Wow, he just does not get it, does he?" Nick said as Judy forced herself not to scream. "Woody, turn off the camera." Nick said as he looked down. "By that ring on your finger I take it you're married? Please take the hint of not meddling in _affairs_ that _concern you._ "

"Who should I not meddle in affairs…that…concern…me…" the beaver said as the light bulb finally sputtered to life. He turned to his camera-mammal. "Kyle turn the camera off!"

"Wait, why Woodrow?" the caribou asked, being completely out of the loop.

"Just do it!"

"Hey dude calm down!"

"YOU CALM DOWN!" the beaver said and launched himself at the camera, trying to wrestle it from his colleague.

"Mr. Buckle stop this!" Judy said stepping forward arm outstretched to try and restrain Buckle.

"TURN THE DAMNED THING OFF OR YOU'RE FIRED!"

"I work for the network not for you…OW!" Kyle shouted as the beaver kicked him in the ankle, almost causing him to drop the camera.

"Mr. Buckle please calm down and cooperate! I said…GAH! He bit me! _The son of a bitch BIT me!"_

"RIGHT! Come here asshole!" Nick shouted tackling Buckle to the ground. "Woodrow Buckle, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice, assault, and one count of assaulting a police officer! OW!" he screamed as Buckle bit down on his paw. "OK, now that's two counts! Carrots, just dart the bastard!" he said as Buckle continued to struggle. Judy shot a dart into his shoulder while Nick held him down, and after a few seconds the beaver went limp.

"Nice one, babe," Nick praised as he hefted Buckle onto his shoulders. "You OK?"

"Yeah, nothing a bandage won't sort. You?"

"Same…wait, is that camera still rolling?" Nick asked, turning to the camera-mammal who had indeed caught every single bit of footage. Not only that, as Buckle had said, it was live.

In the ZNN studio, Fabienne Growley and Peter Moosebridge just stared off screen, gobsmacked at what they had just seen. Off camera, a small voice could be heard. "Guys, you're on!" it loudly whispered, causing both mammals to shake themselves out of their state of shock. They looked at the camera, unsure of what else to say. Fabienne took the initiative.

"And now, here's Dave with sports!"


	15. Patterns and Coincidence

Judy was in agony, the pain unceasing and horrendous. Her soul was distraught, torn asunder by the demons assaulting it. She prayed for the sweet release of death. Or at the very least some aspirin to make this hangover headache go away.

"How you holding up, Fluff?" Nick said as he returned to their desk. Of course _he_ was fine, she thought as she silently cursed him. She lolled forward, bringing her head in contact with the desk. The nice _cold_ desk. "I'll take that as a 'not good,' shall I?" Nick said as Judy raised a middle finger in the general direction his voice was coming from. Why'd she agree to last night again?

Oh that's right, because they'd spent about an hour listening to Lionheart rant at her and Nick over a video conference call in Bogo's office.

" _I HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS TO DEAL WITH WITHOUT THE PUBLIC THINKING I'M HAPPY WITH POLICE OFFICERS ASSAULTING THE PRESS! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR BOGO?"_ he'd shouted, getting to the end of his rant. Judy knew it had taken all of Bogo's self-control to calmly show the mayor a video of the incident, showing that they were indeed trying to follow procedure and Buckle assaulted them. After a few apologies Lionheart had cut the call, leaving them to deal with Bogo.

" _Gut feeling, do you think we've found our killer?"_ he'd asked them. Judy was concerned since it wasn't like the Chief to be reaching, but he addressed her concerns immediately by letting them know he just wanted their opinion. Both Nick and she had agreed that, in all likelihood, Buckle wasn't the killer. His background didn't suggest it.

 _That said, there was nothing to suggest anything about Lorena Vuk's_ extracurricular _activities either,_ she thought as she tried to think of a way to get through the rest of the day without moving her head from the nice cold desk.

"I would have thought by now you would have built up some tolerance to booze," Nick said, chuckling.

"Please die," Judy responded, her voice muffled by the nice cold wood.

"Well, it's your own fault. You know your size puts you at a disadvantage, yet you insisted on trying to keep up with everyone."

"Yeah, suck it up Judy!" Sally screeched from across the room. Last night she had invited Nick, Judy and the rest of the detectives for a few drinks after work, and since Buckle still hadn't woken up by the time their shift had ended, they accepted. Even Vines stayed for one drink, even if it was a simple soda.

The rest of the detectives, however, decided to turn it into an impromptu drinking contest, which progressively got more heated as time went on. Carrot and Angua had left after a few rounds, leaving Nick, Judy, Sally, Dobby and Porklon to go. Nick held his own, but conceded early, not wanting to get too bad for work the next day, _the sensible red bastard_. Judy tried to keep up with the remaining three, but conceded just before Sally did, leaving Dobby and Porklon to keep going. Nick had carried her home before she found out who won, and that morning, both the pig and donkey were chatting as if nothing happened!

"Leave Hopps alone, Sal," Fred chided. "Gotta give props to her, even if she is a lightweight," he chuckled.

"Fred, everyone is a lightweight compared to you," Nick said. Judy groaned, waiting for the argument to start. She was surprised that it didn't and turned her head towards Porklon, who just rolled up a wad of paper and chucked it at Nick's head, smiling as he did so. It seemed like things were continuing to improve between those two.

"Here Fluff, got you your favourite hangover cure right here," Nick said, placing a large foam coffee cup in front of her, followed by a large bottle of ice water and a greasy brown paper bag.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" Judy said, lifting her head finally and grabbing the water. She rubbed her face against the chilled plastic, then opened it and drank some of the revitalizing liquid. Putting it to the side, she then took the coffee and downed that in one go, hoping the caffeine would wake her up. She then eyed the paper bag and opened it.

On the other side of the room, Angua's nose started twitching. She turned and eyed the food item the bunny now held. "Is that…?" she asked, unable to form the words for the rest of the question.

"Turkey bacon, turkey sausage, and cheese! Hangover cure of the gods!" Judy said before bit into it, chewed, and swallowed.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!?" Fred screamed and fell over himself trying to get out of his seat. Judy looked around confused, as everyone in the room except Nick was looking at her with wide-eyed horror. Whatever tasks they were doing were halted, causing them to drop a lot of items.

"The hell is going on out here?" Vines said as he came through his office door. He spotted Judy, sniffed, and had a similar reaction to Fred.

If she hadn't been hungover, Judy probably would have realized faster why everyone was so shocked. Meanwhile, Nick just sat quietly, but with a grin that threatened to split his jaw.

"What, you never seen a bunny eat meat before?" Judy asked as she took another bite.

"NO!" everyone yelled.

"Do, do we need to call a doctor or something? I thought rabbits couldn't eat meat?"

"Oh we can't, at least not usually," Judy explained after she swallowed her next bite. "Adult rabbits don't have the necessary enzymes to digest meat or dairy properly."

"Then what…how?" Vines asked, completely agog.

"The secret's in the sauce," Nick said. "I get these from a takeout that caters to mammals who want to try the foods they normally can't. The sauce has the enzymes in it that help mammals digest food that usually doesn't agree with their bodies. It's still as unhealthy as all other takeout, and it's something the owner recommends only doing once every couple of weeks, maximum."

"It's why Nick only gets me this when I have a hangover," Judy added. "It eases the pain."

"But…how did you even decide to try meat in the first place?" Dobby asked, coming out from behind his partner. He seemed wary that the tiny rabbit was going to develop a taste for living mammalian flesh.

"Heh, that goes back to another hangover what about…8 months back? Just after we moved in together?" Judy said looking to Nick, who shrugged non-committedly. "I woke up before Nick and was starving, wandered into our kitchen, and then grabbed the first thing I could from the fridge…which turned out to be one of his leftover turkey sausages. I didn't realise until I'd finished it what I'd eaten and had already decided it was delicious."

"Wasn't so good coming up the other way though when her stomach decided it couldn't digest it," Nick chimed in. "Who knew a rabbit could vomit that much? But the grease seems to help her when she gets like this."

"So yeah, I occasionally have stuff like this, usually when I have a hangover. The grease helps," Judy said.

"You know that's bullshit, no offence Sergeant," Vines said to Carrot, the highland cattle shrugging in response. "Grease doesn't help a hangover because you've already got the alcohol in your system. Trust me, I spent enough time as an alcoholic to know."

"Sorry, I can't hear you, my ignorance is blocking your logic sir," Judy said as she returned to her water. She knew the facts, but she always felt better after one of those sandwiches.

"Anyway, hedonistic appetites aside, Wilde, Hopps, just got word from the cells. Buckle's finally shaken off the effects of the tranquiliser. They're taking him to interview room 6, so get down there."

"Sir!" Nick and Judy said in response. The rabbit shoved the remaining sandwich in her mouth and almost swallowed it whole, causing Fred to shudder in response. Grabbing the case files and a digital recorder, Nick and Judy made their way out of the offices, just as Chief Bogo entered.

"Vines, I need to go over…oh excuse me Hopps, Wilde," he said as he got out of their way. The two gave their greetings and continued on their way. Bogo turned back to the rest of the detectives, who were wearing an all too familiar expression to the Chief. He sniffed the air; although his nose wasn't that of a canid, he could still smell the scent of grease and meat.

"Hangover sandwich?" he asked, and chuckled as his detectives nodded. "I would say you'd get used to those two, but I'd be lying."

* * *

A few minutes later, Nick and Judy sat across from Buckle, who was staring down at a cup of lukewarm coffee he'd been given before they arrived. On the way down, Judy had discussed matters with Nick and they decided she should take lead on this. She wanted more practice at interrogation, and it seemed that a more straightforward method might get through to Buckle. Nick's standard interrogation technique was usually to be friendly with the suspects, and somehow he got even the most hostile of mammals to open up to him, even if they didn't realise it. That didn't work with everyone though, and Nick suspected that Buckle would be one of those. His lack of understanding of the jokes Nick had made during their previous interactions with the reporter seemed to indicate he'd probably get more confused than anything. So, the straightforward approach it was. Nick waited outside as Judy finished getting herself comfortable in the chair opposite to the beaver.

She checked the camera was recording, as well as her own digital sound recorder and began. "Time and date of interview is 10:42 am, July 30th. Interview is one Woodrow Buckle, who has waived his right to have an attorney present. Can you confirm this?" she asked.

"Yes," Buckle answered simply, taking a sip of his coffee. "The only lawyer I trust is my wife and I don't want her here."

"Mr. Buckle, can you tell us your relationship with one Lorena Vuk?" Judy asked, not commenting on that last statement.

"A potential work colleague, nothing more," Buckle answered immediately, as if he had practised it, though without much conviction. After he did, Judy sighed and then started taking out several photos from one of the folders she'd brought. They were stills from the video they'd been provided by Nicky Blou.

"These photographs showing you engaging in sexual congress with her a few weeks before her death suggest otherwise. Unless you say this isn't you right here?" she asked, tapping on one of the photos that showed Buckle staring straight at the camera.

"No, that is me," Buckle sighed, knowing he'd been caught.

"So why did you lie?"

"Technically I didn't. She offered her _services_ in exchange for me giving her help to get a freelancing contact with ZNN, which she hoped would get her a permanent job there."

"Which you snapped up the opportunity to do so," Judy said, not hiding the disdain in her voice.

"Come now Detective, surely you of all people can attest to the attraction of other species?" Buckle said while smiling wanly.

"Indeed, however I would say doing so while married to another mammal probably isn't the best idea," Judy said, pointing to the ring on Buckle's finger.

"Well...yes," Buckle said, staring at his wedding band before sighing. "My wife and I are having problems…"

"The state of your marriage is of little concern to me Mr. Buckle, unless it proves to be a motive."

"Motive? You think I killed her!?"

"We're looking at every possibility," Judy clarified, keeping her voice calm and to the point. She was surprised Buckle had taken this long to figure out why he was there. People didn't get taken to the police station due to infidelity. "Where were you two nights ago between the hours of 3pm to 10pm?" she questioned, giving the time the forensic pathologists had estimated Lorena's time of death. They were still waiting on the final autopsy results, so it was the best they had.

"I was at work until 7pm, and then I went home…"

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"My work colleagues, and…my wife and son…" Buckle responded shakily. "Do...do you have to ask them?"

"They already know you've been arrested, that _was_ on live television after all. Your wife called in to the station last night."

"Oh God…"

"We haven't told her of your connection to this case. Though if your trial for assaulting two police officers starts, I can't guarantee that it won't come out during that."

"And assaulting my camera mammal…my career…my life is over."

"Actually, ZNN hasn't fired you and your colleague isn't pressing charges. In fact, they called in to ask for your welfare. You seem well-liked at the station," Judy said, giving the beaver some small comfort. "But let's get back on topic. You said Lorena was trying to get a freelancing position with ZNN?"

"Yes."

"How would that have worked? You put in a good word for her?"

"Yes, but she would have had to present a sample story, which she said she was working on."

"And that was?"

"I can't tell you."

Judy hesitated at that, finally making some headway to be stonewalled by that response. "And why can't you tell me?"

"I won't have that poor girl's name dragged through the mud, her family has enough troubles."

Judy paused again and chose her next words carefully. "So…you consider the feelings about her family, but not your own when you went to bed with her?" Judy asked and saw Buckle physically wince at the question. "If you withhold evidence, we can add obstruction of justice to your charges."

"Are you threatening me, Detective?" Buckle asked incredulously.

"Just stating the consequences of your actions," she replied, thinking back to when Nick tried a similar tactic on Akela. "Did you know the wolves Bighana Akela and Shelly Lupowitz?"

"Who're they?"

"The other victims."

"Oh yes, sorry, I forgot about them," Buckle said. Judy forced herself not to reach over the table and smash Buckle's face into the table. Nick was right on the money when he said the press hadn't cared until a quasi-celebrity was involved.

"Answer the question please," she simply said, though not without rancour in her voice.

"No, I didn't know them. Sorry."

"Did this story Lorena talked about have anything to do with the deaths of the other victims?" she continued, hoping the direct question would throw Buckle off-balance and get him to reveal something. Instead, the beaver went quiet, his eyes returning to the desk as if contemplating his options.

"If I tell you what the story was, will you drop the assault charges?"

"Can't do that Woodrow," Judy said, throwing his first name in to make the situation slightly more comfortable and familiar, a tip Nick had given her for dealing with uncooperative interviewees. "Bogo puts them through every time, and he does not take kindly to having his officers attacked for doing their job." She saw the beaver start despairing and decided she could do something though to calm him down. "Tell you what, you help me, and I'll put in a good word for you with Bogo and the judge when it goes to trial. That may help you avoid prison, possibly get community service instead."

"That's it?" Buckle said.

"You don't have anything to bargain with here Woodrow, but I'm still making you an offer. You'll be going to trial for the assaults, I can't do anything about that. I can put a good word in for you so you can hopefully avoid jail time. Or, we'll add obstruction of justice to the charges, which will definitely land you with a prison sentence…and which will also mean you can't salvage your marriage," she finished, taking a risk with that last statement. Woodrow seemed regretful over the affair, and giving him that perspective could cause him to cooperate. Some marriages could survive infidelity, and some could survive prison. She doubted one could survive both.

Woodrow sat silently for a few minutes, and Judy let him. He had a lot to think about. When he finally spoke, it made her jump slightly. "It was an exposé on prostitution."

"How do you mean? People know it exists," Judy said, unsure how that would have been news.

"Yes, but more specifically, on the mammals that used their services. The sex industry is more complicated than some stupid kid paying $20 for a blowjob so the girl can go buy some more pounce."

"I'm aware, yes," Judy said, thinking back to Nick's mother and the education she had received from Nick on such matters.

"Lorena claimed she had a lead on some very respectable mammals using their services. She claimed some of the girls she spoke to while doing research gave her the tip."

"Did she happen to pass those names on to you? Of the so-called respectable mammals or the girls?" she clarified.

"No…I told her I couldn't give her any help without that information, which is when she made her _counter-offer_ , as it were. She said it would take another few weeks to get everything she needed and she would get back to me, but she never did."

"I see. Did she give you any information? Anything at all that can help us?"

"Not really…" Buckle said, trailing off as he began to contemplate. "It's not like they gave a description, just how they were sometimes wined and dined. Heh, you wouldn't think anyone would treat a whore to a nice date including a limo, would you?"

"I guess not," Judy said, finding herself getting angry at Buckle's use of the word. But something about what he said stopped her going any further with the emotion. "Wait…did you say limo?"

"Yeah! Who would have thought huh? Is that important?"

"Maybe…" Judy said thinking. Suddenly, she looked at the carrot-shaped sound recorder that she'd been using in the interview. She started to get excited, but paused when she had to make sure. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"I don't think so."

"GREAT! Uh, I mean, thank you Woodrow, you've been a great help. I'll definitely put in that word with the judge for you!" Judy said, practically shouting. "Interview terminated 11:26 am," she said for the record. "I'll send the custody officer back in to discuss what happens with your assault case and see about your bail." Without waiting for a response, Judy gathered everything, including the recording from the camera and her own sound recorder and exited the interview room, where Nick was waiting outside.

"You did great in there Carrots!" he said, beaming with pride. "We'll make you a bona fide interrogator yet. You think you have something?" Nick asked calmly, though the wagging tail behind him betrayed his own excitement.

"Maybe. I need to listen to my audio recordings on here to be sure," she said, waving the carrot-shaped digital recorder. "Let's go."

The two returned to the detective department after sending the custody officer in for Buckle. It was empty as they sat down, Nick moving the whiteboard out of the way of his chair. "So, what have you got?" Nick asked Judy as she plugged her digital audio recorder into her computer and started browsing the files.

"Lemme see...ah, here we go!" Judy exclaimed as she found the particular file she was looking for. She motioned Nick to her side of the desk and double-clicked the file to start it playing. Nick listened to the file.

"Wait, this is when we talked to Sandra right?" he asked.

"Yep!" Judy said as she started bouncing in her seat. A few minutes later, the conversation came to the part she thought she remembered. She listened intently to Sandra's voice.

" _She spent the next couple of nights working here with me. I then took a couple of days to myself, to recuperate you know? I came back and she said she had a guy come back for her a couple of times. Seemed that he wanted to spend more than just one night with her. After that, she said he'd been asking to pick her up at a different place every night, but treated her very nicely, picked her up in a limo every time too."_

"Well shit!" Nick said, catching on to Judy's reasoning. "Nice catch, Fluff."

"I hope so, I just wish I remembered it earlier. What do you think the chances are of two people in this case mentioning a limousine in connection with sex workers?"

"Fairly low I'd say."

"I'm thinking the same thing, Slick."

"It could just be a coincidence still…" Nick said, but didn't sound convinced.

"Sure, but when does coincidence become a pattern?"

"Point taken, Fluff," Nick said. "So, what's the plan? Start canvassing the limo places in the city?"

"Yeah, see if we can get any info on the rentals for the days our victims died? Then cross reference them?"

"You could be onto something here," Nick said, starting to get excited as well. "Plus, how many limo services can a city like Zootopia have? We could knock this out in an afternoon!" he said and sat at his computer. He typed on it for a few seconds, and then a whine escaped his mouth.

"Nick? Everything OK?" Judy asked.

"137…"

"What?" she replied, confused.

"137 limo services in the city…"

"Ah…" Judy said and hung her head. "More than an afternoon's work then?"

"Yeah, probably, since it looks like most of them service the whole city, and since all our victims were found in different places…urgh!" Nick groaned in frustration. "Hey, on the bright side, it looks like Mr. Big's Tundratown Limo-Service gets good reviews," Nick remarked as he scrolled through the various limo services. "Uhm…maybe we should talk to Bogo before getting info from that one?" he said nervously.

"That might be wise," Judy conceded. Due to the potential fallout, after the Night Howler case the partners and Mr. Big had come to an agreement of avoidance. It had been a shame, since Judy liked the old mob boss, but it was a significant issue. Police were not supposed to be friends with mob bosses. This had saddened her a little, as she hadn't been able to see her godchild or Fru Fru for nearly two years, but it had to be done. "Well, let's get a list and start making calls I guess?" she said. "Not counting Mr. Big's that's only…68 each?"

"This is gonna take days…" Nick muttered. "I bet you most of them won't just hand that info to anyone over the phone either. I see a lot of time spent in city traffic in our future."

"No one ever said being a detective was glamorous," Judy chided him.

"Lies! Hollywoof did it all the time with their damn buddy cop movies!" Nick said in mock anger. "So, what should we be asking for from these services? Obviously the info for the dates, but what will we be cross-checking aside from names? Species?"

"Definitely," Judy replied. "Anything that we could replicate, maybe times? Or length of rental? Size of the limo? Anything you can think of."

"OK, print out a list and divide them. I'll write what we should be asking on the board so we've got it there…if I can find enough space." He moved away from his computer desk and to the whiteboard, searching for any available space, while Judy spent the next few minutes printing out the list of companies they needed to call or visit. She returned from the office printer with the list to find Nick staring at the whiteboard, having not written anything on it.

"Having trouble, Slick?" she asked, curious.

"No, just thinking about patterns," he said as he scratched his chin. "You remember asking me if it was common for mammals to cut pounce with other stuff? Arsenic especially?"

"Yeah, we looked into that. No recent arsenic sales, remember?"

"Yeah but…what if it wasn't recent?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we can deduce by the sales that if they made this batch in the city, it wasn't recently. There's a good chance they did make it within the city limits, as the coastguard's been quite good at stopping this stuff from coming from overseas, or at least getting into the ports. That means it was either created in the city or transported over land, the latter of which is probably too risky. Drug users tend to make bad mules…and I'm glad Dobby wasn't here to hear me say that."

"Still not following, Slick," Judy said, not sure where Nick was driving this.

"We had a look at any drug seizures, didn't we? To see if we found a match? How far back did we go?"

"Uhm, the last few month I think? Pounce doesn't tend to have a long shelf life, too risky. Why? Do you think we didn't go back far enough?"

"Maybe, I'm just saying it's a possibility worth looking into. Possibly the arsenic sales as well if we find something."

"You may be right," Judy said, looking at the time. "OK, so one of us starts calling limo services while the other looks into records of any pounce seizures going back longer?"

"Yep!" Nick said as he finally started writing down the things to check for the limo services. "I'll take the calls, I can probably schmooze a few secretaries better than you," Nick said, to which Judy agreed. She handed the list to Nick and bounced out of the office, ready for a few days of searching through case files.

 _As long as it gets those girls justice, I'll do whatever it takes to do so!_ she thought, which would have probably been more dramatic if she was about to dive headfirst into a gunfight, not spend days with her butt glued to a desk.

* * *

Notes:

So, how we all doing? Me? Not so great.

As readers of "Empty" may know my wife has been suffering from horrible pain due to issues with her uterus. Turned out to be endometriosis. She returned home from surgery today and is not going back to work for four weeks, meaning she will be in pain for a while yet. Still weren't able to fix everything and may need further surgery.

Due to this I'll be spending as much time as possible tending to her, so further chapters of Zootopian Vice, while not on hold, will probably be a while yet. I've also taken a step back from the Zootopia Reddit for a while, because annoying drama and arseholes who refuse to acknowledge that sexual innuendo is funny.

Thanks again to DrummerMax64 for the proofing and edits.


	16. Revelation

Judy groaned as she sifted through the ZPD's records system. She was still progressing through the search results that she had found from yesterday. In theory, she should have been able to search the system for the words "arsenic" and "pounce" and come up with exactly what she needed, but having used the system before, she knew what she was getting into. Instead of presenting cases where the two words were linked, it had spat out _every. Single. Instance_ of the words. This meant that she now had every case from the past five years that involved pounce or arsenic, even if it was only tangentially, to search through.

This was far from ideal.

After some consideration, she eliminated everything that had gone back more than two years. Nick was right, pounce didn't have a long 'shelf life' once it hit the streets, but she didn't want to eliminate too many just in case. Hell, from the amount of cases she had in front of her, she would not be surprised if the demand outstripped the ability to supply. Even eliminating the majority, she still had well over _three_ _thousand_ casesover the two year period.

She started a system to try and make the work go faster, but it barely helped, checking 50 cases a time before taking a break, then kept going.

She was on one of her self-imposed breaks now, making her way to the precinct's cafeteria. She'd texted Nick to see if he was available for a quick bite, but he was stuck on a call to one of the limo services. Apparently, their hold music was making him want to see if he was within his rights to prosecute their customer service rep for wasting police time.

Slightly saddened by her mate's absence, she decided to grab some food before returning to her records search. She grabbed a simple salad from the available options and a soda. As she turned around, she heard a squeal of delight and turned to see, _of course_ , Benjamin Clawhauser waving to get her attention. She smiled and made her way over to her friend's table.

"Oh God Judy, it feels like we haven't talked in ages!" Ben said in his typically excitable way.

"Ben, we saw each other this morning," Judy pointed out, though in truth they hadn't really chatted properly in a while.

"I know, but it's not the same," Ben mewled. "I don't get to be as involved in the detective cases and I miss you and Nick."

"Yeah, we miss you too," Judy replied sincerely. Although Nick would probably never admit it himself, they both found the cheetah's positive attitude and lack of care of what others thought of him endearing. "Tell you what, I'll talk with Nick and see if we can invite you around to our apartment this weekend. How's that sound?"

"Ooooh, awesome!" Ben said, bouncing in his seat. "Maybe we can start planning your wedding!"

"Please no…" Judy groaned.

"What's the matter, already getting cold feet? Is that why you're not wearing the ring?" Ben asked, confused by the statement.

"Of course not!" Judy said indignantly, composing herself when she saw Ben's face. She was slightly annoyed that he'd noticed the missing ring. "Sorry Benji. But no, I'm not getting cold feet. I'm not wearing the ring because I got worried about it getting lost at work or during a confrontation with a suspect. I wear it on our days off. As for the wedding? It's just that my family…urgh, they're already planning it and going on about place mat settings, making sure there'll be food for the non-bunnies we'll be inviting, which includes you before you ask Ben," she added before he had the chance to explode. "We haven't even set a date yet."

"How far ahead were you thinking?"

"I dunno, maybe a year? I have a lot of extended family members to try and get in one place. I have to discuss it with Nick first."

"I'm sure whenever you can it'll be fine," Ben said, slurping a drink.

"Well, enough about me, what about you? Got any interesting mammals in your life?"

"No, not really. Had a date with a cute cheetah last week, but it didn't go anywhere."

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's OK, not everyone can luck out easily like Nick."

"And me."

"Oh Judy, we both know Nick's the lucky one out of you two!" Ben said mockingly. The comment caused a small laugh from Judy as she continued eating her lunch. "So, how's the case going?"

"Not well," Judy replied as she munched on her salad. "I'm having to go through two years' worth of drug cases to see if we have any files on cases where pounce was cut with arsenic, but the damn system has given me every single case that involved either pounce or arsenic, even if only remotely. I've got nearly three thousand cases to go through!" she said in exasperation.

"Uhm, Judy, you know you can narrow the search by putting a plus symbol between the words, right?" Ben said hesitantly.

"...What?" Judy deadpanned.

"Yeah, I found that out when I was in records during the whole Night Howler fiasco. See, if you just put the words in separately, it gives you everything, but if you type in 'pounce + arsenic', it'll give you the results with only those in…are you OK?" Ben asked as Judy sat silently, her body rigid. After a few quiet seconds, she finally moved.

"Yeah, yes, yep! I'm fine Ben, really!" she said and went silent again for just a touch longer than was comfortable. "Would you excuse me for a second?" she asked, hopping off the chair without waiting for an answer. She padded across the cafeteria and headed for the doors that led to the smoking area outside. She looked around, noticing that for once the area was empty, took in a big breath, and screamed.

" _ **FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…**_ "

* * *

Meanwhile, in the detectives' office, Nick was lying back on his chair, feet on his desk as the hold music blared on his phone. He was unsure where the booking agent for the latest limo service he called had gone, but he was getting used to being placed on hold by the multiple mammals he'd spoken to. He decided to enjoy the relative silence, hold music notwithstanding.

" _ **FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…**_ "

"Carrots?" Nick asked as he heard the shout, and then realised why Judy always admonished him for sitting back with his feet on the desk when he lost balance, tried to right himself, failed, and fell backwards, crashing to the floor.

"Ow."

* * *

Two blocks away from the precinct, Duke Weaselton had run into some bad luck with trying to pickpocket a certain angry badger.

"Look, how about we just let bygones be bygones, eh?" the weasel suggested as the badger held him by his vest collar.

"How about I rip your arm off?" Luther countered, glaring at Duke. "At least for a start…" he paused and turned his head towards an odd sound.

"… _ **UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…**_ "

Not sure what to make of it, Luther turned back to his captive, surprised to find that the only thing he held was an unwashed vest, while a brown streak of fur dashed round the corner of a building.

* * *

In Bunnyburrow, Stu and Bonnie Hopps sat down to their lunch together, Stu taking a break from a hard day in the fields, Bonnie taking one from Judy's wedding plans. As they ate their carrot and cress sandwiches, both their ears turned south towards Zootopia, followed by the rest of their heads.

"Did you hear something?" Stu asked as he stared quizzically at the horizon.

"I don't think so, but I certainly _felt_ something," Bonnie said, slightly confused. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she turned back to her husband. "I think I'm going to give Judy a call," she said, standing and brushing off her dress before heading off to look for her phone.

* * *

".. _ **CK!**_ "

Judy huffed as she finally took a breath for the first time in almost a full minute. After a few more she composed herself and turned around back towards the cafeteria, and found every mammal inside was staring at her before they all suddenly found their tabletops very interesting. She smoothed out her clothes and padded back into the building and towards Clawhauser. She grabbed her mostly finished lunch, waved to the cheetah and walked towards the exit, the cafeteria in complete silence as she did so.

After a few minutes of walking calmly down to the basement while fielding an odd call from her mother ("Yes Mom, I'm fine and so is Nick. _No I don't want to pick out what kind of gold leaf border we need to put on the wedding invites! Please stop asking_."), Judy placed her lunch at the terminal she had been working on. After positioning herself in front of it, she let her head hit the desk with a thud.

After a few minutes she raised it, deciding that she was going to try and not let the fact that she had wasted almost two days' work wrestling with a stupid search system get to her, or at least not until she was at home and could scream into a pillow to her heart's content. Mentally psyching herself up, she got back to work. She opened a new window rather than clear the screen of the multitude of search results she was reading through. She then typed 'arsenic + pounce' into the search field and hit 'Enter.'

Judy was surprised when only a single result in the last two years popped up a few seconds later, and brought up the case.

"Case 16-ZV-12561," she read aloud as she brought up the details and began to read. After a few seconds, she swore she recognised some of the details. She kept reading though, making sure to take everything in. She went through the case summary by the lead officer, her former colleague Sergeant William Higgins, now Captain of Precinct 99. Gleaning through the lead-up, she finally came to Higgins' personal statement:

"… _suspect, one Leonardo Michael Goldwyn Meyer, species lion, was found in possession of 150 kilos of pounce within a seemingly disused shipping crate in the abandoned Warehouse 117 at the Zootopian Port Authority. Suspect refused to comply with police orders to stand down, whereupon he began to take cover behind the crate door and proceeded to fire upon myself and my junior partner, officer Vasili Andersen, with a shotgun. Officer Andersen attempted to fire with his tranquiliser pistol and successfully hit the suspect, but it appeared the dosage was off and Meyer, who was only marginally affected, continued to fire. I fired seven shots and can report that one of those hit the suspect in the jugular, at which point he started to convulse and exhibit signs of a seizure. Andersen and I attempted to render aid, but after a few minutes, the suspect died. After the paramedics arrived, Meyer was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:36am. Initial assessment was that of a heart attack caused by the mixing of our standard-issue tranquilisers and drugs in his own system. This was due to the powder found around the suspect's muzzle, later confirmed to be a significant amount of the pounce he had been holding. At 2:35am, assessment of the crime scene began. We found 150 kilos of pounce, a calendar with several ringed dates, presumably for sale of the narcotic, several rounds of ammunition for the shotgun he used in the aforementioned firefight, and keys to a nearby van that we assumed was to be used to transport the drugs. At this point, the CSI team arrived and made their enquiries. (Please see attached report.)_

 _I would like to recommended Officer Andersen for commendation. The young officer kept his cool and, while not the first firefight he has been in, it was the first with a fatality. He handled himself with valour, despite the unfortunate end of this case._

 _I hereby confirm this statement is accurate to the best of my ability._

 _Sergeant William Higgins_

 _Last accessed: 12:40pm, August 10th, 2017, Captain William Higgins. Location: Precinct 99 records room."_

The last section caused Judy to pause; that was only a few days after they found Bighana dead. The records hadn't been edited, they couldn't be once they were in the system without authorisation from Bogo, and only then if an old case needed to be re-opened. That said, she often found herself thinking about old cases, and had even come down to the records room to read through the whole Night Howler case once or twice when she had little work. Perhaps it was something like that? Still, maybe she could talk to Vines or Bogo about this, just to put her mind at ease.

Regardless of the Captain's reasons, there was a link between this case and her own. She wondered if the evidence warehouse at the docks would have any of the drugs left for comparison with the ones found in the recent victims. Highly doubtful, as drugs were usually destroyed about six months after a trial for a case had ended since they were no longer needed, and this hadn't even gone to trial due to the fact that the main suspect was dead. Still, there might be something there.

On a whim, she decided to open the Internet browser on the computer and searched for any news about the case. The official records were all she really needed, but sometimes they left out details that officers thought were unimportant, and sometimes cases hung on the smallest threads. She typed in the details on Zoogle, finding the first result was an article on ZNN's website.

 _Top Cop Topples Drug Big Shot_

 _Pounce taken off the street by Zootopia's Finest_

" _Earlier today, two hundred kilos of pounce were seized by the heroic actions of Lieutenant William Higgins and his partner Officer Vasili Andersen. The pair managed to track the suspect to the Zootopian Port Authority and, in an exciting and daring gun battle, managed to bring an end to one of the largest suppliers of drugs to the city…."_

Judy didn't read any further into the story as she went back to the first sentence. _200 kilos of pounce? But the report only said 150._ She ruminated on that for a few seconds. Of course it wouldn't be the first time that the press got something wrong. She'd lost count of the amount of times her last name had been spelled with only one P. Maybe the reporter just rounded up? She checked the name and found, to her surprise, that the author was Woodrow Buckle, the same beaver currently out on bail for an assault charge against her and Nick.

She didn't know enough about the reporter to know if he thoroughly fact-checked, but it was obvious he romanticized the case, describing a gun battle as daring. Judy had been in one or two fights herself, only armed with her dart pistol, and the story was definitely written by someone who had never been on the receiving end of a hail of gunfire. _Exciting? More like terrifying,_ she thought. Luckily, she had Nick by that point, his cool demeanour and excellent aim helping her snag the perps they were after.

She wondered if she was making a mountain out of a molehill and started to scratch her chin, when suddenly the world went dark.

"Hey beautiful, working hard?" her favourite voice said. Nick stopped covering her eyes and she turned to him, giving him a small smile.

"You know it, Slick," Judy replied, glad to see her mate. "How're the limo calls going?"

"Not too bad, got a couple we'll have to head out to see as they refuse to send me details via email, but one did come through in a big way. 'King's Limo Services.' Turns out it's owned by Richard King, Marian's dad?" he said.

Judy nodded in recognition, thinking back to their mutual friend who they had met under tragic circumstances. Nick's old friend who had killed himself, Robin, was the father of Marian's daughter, Gwyn. They'd gotten to know the young mother over the last few months when time allowed and even babysat for her a couple of times.

"So yeah, turns out he's diversifying into other business areas, and apparently, he told his employees to offer any assistance if you and I ever require his help. They're sending their records over and the feeds from their security cameras for the days in question. It'll take about a day or two to get them together and send it all over."

"Hopefully something will come of it," Judy replied.

A strange look came across Nick's face. "Fluff, I know that tone. You have something on your mind that you don't like." Judy sighed, slightly annoyed that Nick always knew what she was thinking.

"C'mon, let me show you," she said finally, glad to get a second opinion on her concerns. She showed Nick the case file and the difference in the official report and the news story.

"Hmm," Nick mused, scratching his muzzle as he contemplated.

"You think I'm making too much of this," Judy said, putting her fears out there.

"Well, I didn't say that," Nick said. "I mean, it's a discrepancy, sure, I just dunno what to make of it though. What were you thinking? Just a coincidence?"

"Maybe," Judy responded, looking back to the computer. "It just seems odd, you know? It's probably nothing."

"But?" Nick said, cutting her off.

"But…like I said, it just seems odd. I mean, it's probably nothing, but we should follow up, even if just to eliminate any links between this case and ours I guess?"

"Second-guessing yourself? What happened to the headstrong bunny I fell in love with?"

"Oh she's here, just not sure how to go about questioning a superior officer over a murder investigation!" Judy said, finally glad to say the words that were causing her so much concern.

"Remember Fluff, not every police officer is as righteous as you, or so handsome they can get anyway with anything like me," Nick said, smirking.

"Yeah right," Judy snorted. "But no way there's a connection, right?"

"Probably not," Nick agreed, shrugging. "But as you said, we'll add it to the board, even if it's just to discount any link. Shows we're thorough at least."

"Yeah, thanks Nick," Judy said before taking a quick look around the records room. They were alone and she was sure the security cameras couldn't quite see all the way into this corner, so she risked giving Nick a quick, chaste kiss.

"What was that for?"

"What, can't I kiss my fiancé?"

"Just curious, Fluff," Nick said, smiling.

"A little thank you for talking this out with me," Judy said happily.

"No worries, babe. Wanna take a break from this and head out to interview annoying service mammals hiding behind data protection policies? Could be fun!"

"Yeah, I guess. I got what we need from this, just gimme a sec," she replied, and spent a few seconds sending the link to the case notes to her internal email address so she could reference it easily from her own workstation.

"Don't worry Judy, I'm sure we'll find something soon. After all, it's us," Nick said, throwing his arms wide. "And we're awesome."

Judy chuckled. "Yeah, thanks hun," she said, allowing affection into her voice. "C'mon, let's go."

* * *

"Dammit, dammit, dammit," Judy said as she hung up the phone. She glanced at the time, groaning at the fact it was only 9am.

"Still having fun making no headway, Fluff?" Nick asked from across their desk. His voice was slightly muffled as he currently had his head on the desk, the sheer tedium of going through hundreds of files of paperwork over the last two days finally getting to him.

"What gave it away?" she responded, fighting the urge to start smashing her desk phone into oblivion. "You weren't kidding about some of these customer service reps being unhelpful."

"I think the term I used was 'obstinate assholes.'"

"Whatever," Judy huffed. "Three days and no progress. God, we must be the laughing stock of the detectives."

"No, that's still Angua after she walked in with her skirt tucked into her underwear yesterday…"

"Nick, be serious!"

"I am serious! She was threatening to shove Dobby's phone down his throat an hour ago."

"I hate you," Judy said, failing to stifle a laugh at the recollection. "At least sometimes."

"As long as it's only sometimes. Oh hey!" Nick said as he turned to his computer. "Looks like I finally got those records and security footage from King's Limo Services," he continued before forwarding the email on to his partner. "I'll start on these now. Beats talking to more people on the phone."

"You do that. I think I need more caffeine. Snarlbucks? My treat?" she asked and Nick nodded. She made her way out of the offices, enjoying the short walk it allowed. Twenty minutes later, feeling a little more refreshed thanks to the caffeine and physical activity, she hummed to herself as she entered the department, only to find Nick staring at the screen like he'd seen a ghost.

"Slick? Everything OK?" she asked, putting down his own coffee next to him. Her voice seemed to snap him out of his thousand yard stare, but when he turned to her, he still had the same look of horror on his face.

"Everything is most definitely not OK, Judy," Nick said before swallowing. "Look."

Judy turned to Nick's screen and saw a video file playing. The screen showed the lobby of one of King's Limo Services. An antelope sat behind a desk, typing away. A few seconds later, she turned towards what was presumably the front door as another mammal, a hippo, walked into frame. The angle wasn't really good at showing his features, but after discussing something with the antelope for a few moments, the hippo turned towards the camera.

It was Captain William Higgins of Precinct 99.

"Oh shit…" Judy said as her paws moved to her mouth.

"Oh shit indeed," Nick agreed. They both instinctively turned to their whiteboard and looked towards the bottom left corner, where, not wanting others to know what they had been looking into, the letters WH sat alone.

"Coincidence?" Judy asked, her voice holding no conviction.

"I thought so at first, but then I looked up the records they sent over and saw the details of the rental." Nick brought up the file with the information and highlighted one line of text. "Walter Henrikson, large mammal limo required, paid in full, cash."

"A fake name?" Judy asked, not even bothering to entertain the idea that it was simply a different hippo who happened to look exactly like their former colleague.

"Yep, and then I did a quick scan through the other files from the other services we've already checked," Nick continued as he opened another file and highlighted another line.

"Large mammal required. Walter Henrikson. Paid in full. Cash," Judy read aloud.

"Ah huh," Nick said before pointing to a piece of paper he had on his desk from a third limo service, his claw indicating a line that read almost exactly the same thing. "I haven't had time to check them all out thoroughly, but I'll bet my last buck that these rentals will all coincide with the timeframe for the deaths of our victims. And since I once helped run a bookie when I was hustling, I know where and when to bet."

"Shit," Judy said, raising a paw to her head. Despite her reluctance to admit it, the evidence was pointing to one of the ZPD's own, a captain no less.

"Judy, what the hell do we do?" Nick asked. She turned to her mate and locked eyes. This was where things were always a little tougher for Nick. He'd lived in a world of grey morals for so long he sometimes found it hard to think in terms of black and white, so he turned to her in those times. In contrast, Judy had lived in that world so long, she looked to him when the terms of right and wrong were less clear. Here, though it was even more mixed than usual, a member of the ZPD was implicated in three murders. And it was one of their own colleagues, one who they had worked with before and looked up to.

Judy took a deep breath; when she thought of it that way, it was clear. They needed to bring down the mammal responsible for these deaths, and she chided herself for thinking of doing anything else for even a nanosecond.

"OK, Nick, you look into the time frames. I'm going to have a word with Woodrow Buckle about that article he wrote regarding the pounce shipment last year. Maybe he has something that can corroborate our theory."

"Our theory that one of our own is a serial killer." Nick said matter-of-factly. Judy's gut tightened at the words, but they needed to be said.

"Yes," Judy said, letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

* * *

It was several hours later, approaching 4:30pm. Nick, Judy and Captain Vines were sat in Bogo's office as the Chief read through the report they had presented. Judy was sweating, worried about the case. After speaking with Woodrow Buckle (after getting shouted at by his wife for five minutes before she realised it wasn't another one of 'his whores') and gaining some evidence from him when he had written the article, they'd compiled the report and brought it to the attention of Vines, who then had them present it to Bogo. The buffalo had been carefully reading it for fifteen minutes now.

She felt a pressure on her paw and glanced down to see Nick's giving hers a gentle squeeze before withdrawing. It did a lot to calm her. Of course, Nick was hiding his nerves well, but she had a feeling the small sign of physical affection was for his benefit as well as her own. She spared a glance to Captain Vines, who was scowling. Not scowling at anything, just scowling in general.

She turned back at the sound of rustling paper as Bogo closed the folder they had presented him. Arms folded in front of him, his gaze switched between Nick and Judy, causing them both to swallow hard.

"Hopps, Wilde, I need you to carefully think about the questions I'm going to ask before answering them," he said levelly. "First, while I can see the connection with the limo services and the surveillance footage of Higgins, or who appears to be Higgins," he said pointedly, "what I want to know is why you think an officer who was under my direct command at the time lied on his after-action report?"

Judy tried not to swallow again and kept her nerves in check. She quickly analysed Bogo's question. His tone was level, and there was no accusation in it from what she could tell. He just wanted the facts.

"Sir," she began finally, "as per our report, I identified an inconsistency with the information presented by Captain Higgins at the time, and the information available from another reliable source…"

"A reporter who assaulted you and Wilde a few days ago," Bogo said.

"She said reliable, sir, not commenting on his mental state," Nick put in, and by the look on the Chief's face, he regretted it immediately. He always threw jokes in when nervous.

"Shut your mouth, Wilde!" Bogo barked at the interruption. "Please continue, Detective," he said, gesturing to Judy.

"As I said sir, reliable. I contacted Mr Buckle and asked him about the story. See, he worked on the website before getting the on-site reporter job for ZNN, and part of why he got _that_ role was turning up to stories faster than anyone else. He sent me several files he had from the story in question, including an audio recording. I have it here if you wish to listen to it, sir," she said, holding up a thumb drive.

Bogo took the thumb drive and inserted it into his computer. Two files were presented to him, one was the video footage he was already aware of from stills included in the written report. The other was an audio file, which he opened.

"It's at timestamp three minutes and forty seconds, sir," Judy pointed out. The Chief grunted and clicked on the timestamp on his audio player. The voices of Higgins and Buckle were both audible, with a slight echo, as if inside a metal container.

" _So, as you can see Mr. Buckle, the suspect had a large amount of pounce ready for transport."_

" _How many would you say, Lieutenant Higgins?"_

" _Well, it's packed in one kilo bags and there's two hundred of them. You do the math."_

Abruptly, Bogo stopped the recording and sat back in his chair. "What about the drugs? Did you manage to compare samples?"

"Not directly, sir. The drugs from Higgin's case last year were destroyed months ago, since the case never had to go to trial. We did get the lab results though, and the drug's makeup seemed identical, aside from varying amounts of pounce. It seems that the suspect in that case stumbled into a good deal. We dug around and found some corroborating stories from other dealers at the time. Seems the Colombian cartel moving this batch of pounce was selling it cheap because it was cut with arsenous acid by mistake, rather than their usual mix of talc and soap powder," Judy said. That part of the evidence had taken the better part of the day to pull up from the archives.

Bogo remained quiet for a while as he digested this information. "What about Andersen? He was also on the case."

"Andersen was the junior officer in the case, so any handling of evidence was done by Higgins. Also, after this case, Higgins was promoted to Captain while Andersen remained a beat cop, and they've had very little contact since. We talked to Andersen, and he seems a little bitter about Higgins getting most of the credit, but he's on the list for sergeants during the next round of promotions, so it doesn't seem to have hurt his career."

"How did you know Andersen's on track for Sergeant?"

"You should really stop letting Clawhauser handle your paperwork, sir," Judy answered, revealing where they had obtained that piece of info.

Bogo remained quiet for some time after that. Finally, he leaned forward and stared both Nick and Judy in the eyes, alternating between them before finally speaking again. "Are you sure about this, Detectives?"

"Sure about what, sir?" Nick asked before Judy could. "Are we sure that one of our own might be somehow linked to the death of three women? That he might have stolen drugs? Lied on an evidence form? No sir! We're not sure, and I personally hope that we're 100% wrong on all these fronts so we can catch the real killer…but the evidence is pointing this way." Nick took a breath as he finished, having shouted everything out in one go. He slumped back in his chair, looking exhausted. Judy reached out and gave his paw a squeeze, calming him like he had done for her. "Then there's more circumstansial evidence as mentioned in the report, such as from one of the victim's personal effects," he continued. "Bighana Akela kept a record of her 'regulars' with initials...and WH appears multiple times in it." Judy knew this was barely proof, but it lined up with the facts of the case.

Bogo sat in silence for a few seconds before he too slumped back in his chair and simply muttered "shit."

"Indeed Hopps, could you all wait outside for a moment?" Bogo replied and picked up his desk phone. The three detectives made their way out to the hall and waited.

"Sorry that your first case is about to be taken off you detectives, but you did sterling work," Vines said after the silence became unbearable.

"You'll forgive me for being less than enthused sir," Nick replied shaking his head.

"Believe me Wilde, it never feels good to have to bring in one of your own, even if they've blatantly broken the law. We go out there every day to do the best for our citizens and they in turn trust us to do our best. But when one bad cops turns his back on the law, it erodes that trust and makes our job that much harder."

Neither Judy nor Nick could think of a response to that so the rest of the time outside the office was spent in silence. Almost forty five minutes later, Bogo's door opened followed by the mammal himself stepping out.

"Vines you get yourself home and to your son, we'll take it from here," he said in a tone that brokered no argument. Knowing not to do so, Vines said his goodbyes and padded away from the group.,

"We, sir?" Judy asked as she saw Bogo clutching a set of keys.

"We, Detective. If one of our own is involved with this, I need to know the answers as soon as possible. Internal Affairs are short staffed at the moment, so lieutenant Baghera has asked for your assistance. It's not strictly by procedure but he and I both agree it would be best to talk to Higgins immediately, and if needed take him in to custody before he hurts anyone else. He'll meet us in the Precinct 99 parking lot. I've already called ahead to say I need to meet with Higgins, but I haven't said anything about you three." He made a move to the stairs, and glanced back seeing his two detectives stood still in shock, "That was an order, mammals! MOVE IT!"


	17. Confrontation

Chief Bogo pulled his cruiser into Precinct 99's parking lot, closely followed by Nick and Judy's unmarked car. They found open spaces next to the mammal they were due to meet, Lieutenant Bagheera of Internal Affairs. The panther was leaning against his car and straightened his suit as the Precinct One posse exited their own.

"Chief, Detectives," Bagheera said. Bogo simply nodded a greeting.

"Nice to see you again, Lieutenant," Judy said, shaking his paw.

"Likewise," Nick said, doing the same. "Shame it has to be like this, though." Judy thought back to the last time they saw the panther almost a year ago, when Nick was investigated due to the death of Robin Locksley. He was exonerated of course, but thanks to Bagheera's then partner Bhrast Akela, Nick had to spend a night in the hospital with a head wound that didn't do his anxiety any favours. Thankfully, he attached none of the baggage he had with the she-wolf to Bagheera, who had actually stood up for the fox against Akela's unwarranted character assassination.

"Story of my life, Wilde," the panther replied, smiling. "An Internal Affairs officer has few work friends. Chief Bogo has brought me up to speed on the case, including sending me a copy of your report. Have to say, I don't think there's much room for doubt. If we weren't so short-staffed at the moment I would have brought my own team here. Whoever allowed a quarter of the department to go on vacation when so many are out sick is an idiot."

"I believe I sanctioned those requests," Bogo said dryly.

"I stand by my statement," Bagheera said confidently.

"Not my fault that you've had so little work lately, Bagheera," Bogo threw back.

"Technically, it's because you've been doing such a sterling job of keeping us all in line, boss," Bagheera said, throwing a mock salute at the Chief, who grinned in response.

"So, what does this mean for us exactly?" Judy asked. Normally at this point Internal Affairs would take the case from her and Nick, which included interviews with suspects.

"For the moment, I would like you and Wilde to interview Higgins, with myself and Chief Bogo present of course. After that, I suspect I'll formally be taking on the case. It would take too long to bring a team up to speed where they could be able to arrest him if needed, and if your suspicions are correct, that could lead to more deaths."

 _That at least makes some sense,_ Judy thought. With so little staff available, Judy and Nick could get Internal Affairs the final piece of info they needed quickly. She had some reservations, but if Bagheera was there it should be fine. With that said, the team of mammals made their way up to the main precinct. As they entered the foyer, the zebra dispatcher on shift looked up from his desk and immediately snapped off a crisp parade ground salute, trying to hide the fact that he'd been browsing _Preddit_ at work. Bogo simply rolled his eyes at him and continued making his way to Captain Higgins' office, flanked by the rest of his posse. The fact that the Chief was there, with two of the most notable detectives from Precinct One and one of the senior investigators from Internal Affairs caused a bit of whispering to occur around them, but nobody wanted to query the Chief when he had such a determined look on his face.

Making their way through the foyer and up the stairs, they eventually came to the Captain's office. Bogo motioned for the detectives and Bagheera to hang back and opened the door without ceremony, standing on the threshold.

"Ah, Chief Bogo," Judy heard Higgins say. "Good to see you sir. I assume the matter you wish to discuss is important if you didn't want to talk over the phone," the Captain continued.

"Indeed, this is a very important matter that only you can help with," Bogo replied smoothly.

"Well do come in. I'll do my best Chief."

"Thank you, hopefully this won't take too much time. Detectives, Lieutenant?" Bogo called, motioning the rest of the group forward.

Judy could immediately feel the change of tone in the room, all emanating from Higgins as the rest of the makeshift squad entered.

"Sir?" Higgins asked, turning to Bogo. "I was under the impression I would be meeting with you?"

"Ah, so sorry. I forgot to mention the nature of the meeting in my haste to _catch_ you, William. My apologies," Bogo replied, making sure to emphasize the pertinent word. With that, the Chief stood at the side of Higgins' desk, as Bagheera stood by him. Bogo motioned to the chairs in front of the desk. "Hopps, Wilde," he said, confirming they should take the chairs. "When you're ready, Detectives. If that's alright with you Lieutenant?" he asked, turning to Bagheera.

"One second," Bagheera said, producing a slim black digital audio recorder. He held it to his mouth and began to speak. "I, Lieutenant Bagheera, authorise this interview of Captain William Higgins on behalf of Internal Affairs by Detectives Nicholas Wilde and Judith Hopps. Also present is Chief of Police Heshima Bogo. Time and date will be included on the timestamp of this file. Go ahead Detectives," he said, placing the device on Higgins' desk.

"Thank you, sir," Judy said, withdrawing her own carrot recorder and turning it on before placing it next to Bagheera's more compact model. "Captain Higgins, we need to talk to you about some potential involvement with multiple deaths we are investigating."

"Are you referring to your case about Officer Bhrast Akela's sister?" the hippo asked. The way the question was asked seemed innocent enough, though Judy heard a slight huff from Nick.

"That's the one, sir," Judy continued. "While investigating, we found a link with the case to one of your own. Specifically, the 200 kilos of pounce that were found on site."

"I think you mean 150 kilos, Detective," Higgins cut in. Judy turned to Nick who nodded slightly. He was seeing something off about the answer. Judy remained quiet and considered it. The question was answered almost immediately after it had been asked, no hesitation, no prompting to be reminded about a case from over a year ago. He seemed very well prepared for a surprise interview on the subject. That said, it could just be that they were hoping to find answers.

"Ah yes, you would know that fact of course. Since you checked the report a few days after one of the victim's death," she said. Nick huffed again and Judy saw what he had. At the mention of checking the report, both of Higgins' ears flicked forward before returning to their normal position. "We can verify this by the records of the case which show you being the last ZPD member to open the file before myself."

"I don't see how that implicates me in any wrongdoing," Higgins answered.

"I didn't say it did," Judy countered. Another ear flick. "In fact, I would like to draw your attention to this. Chief? Would you be so kind?" she asked. Bogo nodded, taking the thumb drive he'd pocketed from their own meeting earlier, and plugged it into Higgins' computer. "If you could open the audio file on that and set it to three minutes, forty seconds please?" Judy asked.

Huffing, Higgins did so and the interview played the specific line. "So? I counted wrong."

"Possibly, yes," Judy admitted. "But can you also open the video file on the drive?"

Again, an ear flick. Higgins complied though and opened the video file. The security footage from King's Limo Services played and Judy noticed his face blanch at the evidence. _Got you,_ she thought, but with more disappointment than elation.

"You signed for a limo at this service under the name Walter Henrikson. The same name appears on two other limo rental services, for the same days the other two victims died. Can you explain this?"

Ear flick and silence. Not necessarily an admission of guilt, or at least guilt of this crime, but telling.

"Higgins, I know you've been having marital problems." Bogo said, surprising Judy. As far as she was aware, Higgins was a doting husband and father...but then again, she'd barely seen him in the last year. "You don't have to say anything, but you can see where this is going if you stay silent."

Nothing.

"Hey Higgs, can I look at something on your phone please?" Nick asked suddenly. Judy raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. Meanwhile, Higgins just stared at Nick, then turned to Bogo. No help there as Bogo just nodded towards the detectives. With severe reluctance, Higgins reached into his desk and produced his phone, which was pretty much the size of a tablet computer for Nick and Judy. He went to hand it over but was interrupted by Bagheera.

"Please unlock it for my detectives, Captain," Bagheera requested. Higgins withdrew the phone, typed on it, and handed it to Nick.

"Thank you, sir," Nick said, taking the phone. He started pressing the screen, bringing up the phone log. "Detective Hopps, you note the time of this phone call for the date we interviewed Officer Bhrast Akela in this office?" he asked, to which Judy nodded. "Higgins," Nick continued, "I recall you received a call on your desk phone at the time of that interview. Is that correct, sir?"

"I'm afraid I don't recall," Higgins answered.

"Hmm, well there's a number listed here with no name attached at the time of our interview. If I dialled this number, would your desk phone ring?"

Silence.

"Sirs?" Nick asked, turning to Bogo and Bagheera. Both nodded, and Nick pressed the call button on the phone. Seconds later, the phone on Higgins' desk began to ring. Higgins just sat there unmoving as Bagheera's scowl returned with a vengeance. Judy let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding, while Bogo just shook his head, disappointment evident on his face.

"Why did you excuse yourself from the interview under false pretences, sir?" Judy asked.

"William, I think it would be best if we continued this conversation at Precinct One," Bogo said, turning slightly to face the hippo. The disappointment and sadness in his demeanour was palpable. He never liked to think bad of his officers, but the evidence against Higgins was overwhelming.

A pang of sadness filled Judy as she glanced to Nick, who, for once, had let his mask slip and was also showing clear signs of dismay. She understood no one in the ZPD liked to think about cops going bad, but they all knew it happened. Never made it any easier though.

Nodding sadly, Higgins went to stand and reached for his desk drawers, as if to pick up a memento. She took her eyes off Higgins to scan the room, seeing the looks of sadness on each mammal's face. She turned back to him just in time to see him bring out what he had been searching for.

One of the largest handguns Judy had seen in her life.

Without thinking, she jumped towards Nick to either move him out of the way or take the bullet as Higgins brought the gun around. This was the core of her character: selfless to a fault, always willing to put herself in harm's way for others.

It would have been a noble gesture if Nick hadn't been trying to do the exact same thing for her, causing the two mammals to collapse in a heap on the floor.

Shouts and grunts were heard as Judy tried to crawl out from underneath Nick. Finally squirming free, she saw Bogo and Bagheera wrestling with Higgins. Bogo was trying to keep the arm that held the gun pointed away from anyone, while Bagheera was trying to stop the hippo from smashing his massive fist into Bogo's head. Unfortunately for them both, Higgins outweighed his two combatants combined, and despite appearances, most of a hippo's mass was pure muscle. He tossed Bagheera to the side, sending him into a wall, before focusing on Bogo. The two mammals started slamming into the walls and furniture of the office.

Judy tried to get up off the floor as she tried to see how she could help Bogo disarm Higgins. Suddenly, Higgins bellowed and used his greater weight to twist and pin Bogo to the wall. The Chief shouted as almost two tonnes of muscle and fat slammed into him and caused him to lose his grip on Higgins.

When mammals are in high-risk situations, there's a tendency to say that time slows down. This is of course ridiculous; what actually happens is that the senses of the individuals involved become driven by adrenaline. This can make them perceive time going slower, when what's actually occurring is they are reacting much faster than normal. The entire exchange so far had lasted ten seconds, but for everyone in the office, it felt like minutes. When Judy leapt up towards Higgins, she felt like she was moving through molasses, nowhere near fast enough to stop him aiming the gun at Bogo's chest.

Her perception only increased further as she latched onto Higgins' shoulder and swung up and over, driving her legs down as hard as possible. Just as she impacted, Higgins pulled the trigger. All she knew next was a bright flash and a deafening sound, followed by the howl of pain from her Chief as he fell to the floor.

The next thing she knew, she felt the air get knocked out of her lungs as Higgins slapped her out of the air, sending her flying to the far wall of the office. She braced for impact against the brick and mortar, only to find herself enveloped in a soft, warm embrace she was very familiar with, as Nick leapt up and grabbed her in mid-air. Her momentum abated slightly, causing her and Nick to continue towards the wall but at a much-reduced pace.

It still hurt like hell though when they collided with the wall and Nick fell on top of her in a heap.

Before she could fully recover, she heard the sound of a large mammal running past her. She shook her head to try and shake the disorientation, which only made it worse. Finally, she regained her senses as she felt Nick begin to stir from the impact. She looked up and gasped at what she saw.

Chief Bogo was slumped against the wall, his breathing heavy, and a large bloodstain behind him. Bagheera was doing his best to stop the bleeding, and Judy was relieved to see him pressing his now bloodstained paws to the Chief's left shoulder, rather than a more vital area. However, there was still a lot of blood.

Judy checked to see if Nick was OK and found him staring at Bogo. "What can we do?" Nick asked as he moved over to them, not wanting Bagheera to remove his weight from the Chief's wound.

"You can get out of here and find Higgins!" the panther shouted, his voice on the edge of panic. "I'm heavier than you two, I can keep pressure on the wound easier. Go dammit!"

As Judy and Nick made to move, a horse with sergeant's stripes stood at the door, blocking their path.

"Oy, what's going on…shit, is that Bogo?" he asked, but turned to the door before he could get an answer. "CALL AN AMBULANCE, BOGO'S BEEN SHOT!"

"Did you see where Higgins went?" Judy asked, having lost valuable time panicking over their Chief.

"Higgins did that? Jesus…" the horse said, still unknowingly blocking the door.

"Yes! Now either tell us where he went or get out of the way!" Judy blasted, her patience all but gone.

"He headed for the parking lot," the sergeant said, pointing out the door.

"Get an APB out for Higgins, he's armed, dangerous and wanted in connection with three murders and shooting Bogo. Now out of the way!" Judy shouted as she and Nick dashed towards door, the horse stepping aside for them. Judy nodded her thanks and took off, Nick following behind. They surged down the stairs and past the confused looking officers and civilians in the foyer, making a beeline for the parking lot. They made it to the lot just in time to see Higgins speed off in his own ZPD cruiser.

"Dammit!" Judy shouted as she sprinted over to their unmarked car, glad that it was the same size and power of their old cruiser, meaning it could catch up to Higgins easily. Especially since it didn't have two tonnes of hippo to carry. She jumped into the driver's seat and waited all of two seconds as Nick caught up and buckled in just as she hit the accelerator, sirens blaring. She turned out and up the ramp, almost into a bunch of traffic that had stalled as Higgins sped away with his own sirens activated. As she swerved in and out of traffic, she heard the radio put out the all-points bulletin.

"All units, all units, be on the lookout for one Captain William Higgins, hippo. Suspect wanted in connection with three murders, multiple assaults, and injuring Chief Bogo. Suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous."

"Sierra-Oscar-Five here, suspect is on Fern Road heading south towards 7th Street. Requesting back-up," Nick said into the radio as Judy concentrated on driving.

"Sierra-Oscar-Five, this is Z-117, Officers Rhinowitz and McHorn responding. We're just pulling onto Fern, right behind you Wilde!" the gruff voice of Frank Rhinowitz hollered. Just then, the sounds of sirens behind them filled the street as the rhino officers joined the chase.

"Roger that, Rhino Bros!" Nick said. Judy thanked the stars; even one of those two would be more than a match for Higgins' weight and muscle.

"Sierra Oscar-Five, Z-523 coming on your right!" another voice came in, one that Judy didn't recognise. "Officers Kelsey Sabor and Bhrast Akela reporting."

"Oh shit!" Nick shouted, remembering to take his finger off the mic. He glanced to Judy who shook her head. He nodded in response and returned to the radio. "Negative 523, stand down."

"But…" Kelsey started to say, but sounds of a short argument were heard and another voice came on. "Wilde, it's him isn't it!? Higgins killed my sister!"

"Back off Akela!" Nick shouted as Judy continued to weave in and out of traffic. Finally, she saw a bit of open road and gunned for the gap, able to see Higgins cruise ahead. The other two cars followed through, Z-117 narrowly missing a garbage truck.

"Like fuck I will! You're not in a command position so you can't order me around!" Akela blasted through the radio after overtaking the Rhino Bros and positioning the cruiser just behind Nick and Judy's car.

"It's our case Akela! We say who does what!" Nick responded, forcing himself not to scream as Judy threw the car down an alleyway, following Higgins and trying her hardest to ignore the argument. Akela and Kelsey followed after them, while Z-117 brought up the rear. Judy saw Higgins struggling to keep his cruiser under control, probably panicking. His car passed the opening to a second alley branching off the one they were currently on. Judy shifted down and caused their car to leap forward towards the branch alley, just in time to see a van edging out.

"Shitshitshit!" Judy screamed. Having no time to brake, or the van to stop, she simply gunned the engine and ignored Nick's incoherent screaming. She shot past the opening, swearing that she saw sparks on the edge of her vision. She heard nothing above the sound of the roaring engine, the sirens and her mate's prayers, but soon found herself finally exiting the alley. Higgins was barrelling towards a chain-link fence that separated the docks from the rest of Zootopia.

"Z-117, keep following us to the docks. 523, back off dammit!" Nick screamed into the radio, having gotten his breath back. All he got was a negative response from Akela, and no response from Z-117. "Z-117, this is Wilde, respond!" he said, panic returning to his voice. A few seconds later, a slurred voice came on the radio, almost unrecognisable as Rhinowitz.

"Z-117 here. Sorry Nick…we didn't make it past the van," he managed to say before a pained groan took over.

"Are you guys okay?" Judy shouted, letting her attention falter for a second.

"Yeah, we're both fine, just an aching head. Driver of the van is scared shitless but otherwise fine…or at least he will be until I get my hands on him!" Frank grunted.

"Roger that Frank, stay safe," Nick said, audible relief filling his voice. He composed himself and activated the radio again. "OK 523, you're with us until more back-up arrives. But we're in charge, got that?"

"Roger that Detective," Akela said tersely, and ended the call, but not before Judy heard a few choice swear words from her partner.

"Hang on Nick!" Judy cried as she started to gain on Higgins' cruiser, which approached the fence to the docks at speed. Turning shrilly, she watched him head to a nearby gate and ram straight through. Judy followed and found themselves in a part of the docks filled with shipping crates, warehouses and, unfortunately, a lot of dock workers. Higgins tore through the docks with no regard for the safety of any of the workers around him.

"The hell is he doing!?" Judy screamed as she swerved to try and not hit any of the workers that had managed to dodge out of Higgins' way, at least so far.

"He's using the civvies to slow us down and get away," Nick said. "Smart, if callous."

"Why the hell is he doing this anyway? He's police! He's a captain! You don't get that high up with disregard for mammal life!" Judy shouted, rage starting to cloud her judgement as she narrowly avoided a lion who dodge right into their path after nearly being hit by Higgins.

"High functioning sociopath, maybe? I dunno, we can ask when we catch him," Nick said, oddly calm. "I think I know where he's going," he said and picked up the radio. "Officer Sabor, peel off and head right towards Warehouse 16, I think he's heading that way...what the?" Nick cut himself off as he saw Higgins swerve to the left. "How the hell did he decide to go the other way?" he asked in confusion. Judy was too busy trying to keep Higgins in sight to debate. Suddenly, she heard Nick mutter "sonuvabitch" as he put the radio down.

"Nick, what the hell?"

"He's in a police cruiser, Carrots, so that means he's probably listening in on us." Nick said. "Smart bastard. If we use the radio we'll just be giving him a heads-up!"

Suddenly, the radio came to life with a welcome, though laboured voice. "Bogo here. Wilde, Hopps, pick up."

"Sir!" Judy said, almost reaching for the radio before putting her attention back on the road in front of her, running over a crate of spilled bananas that Higgins had hit.

"Nice to hear from you Chief!" Nick said after picking up the radio. "You had us worried."

"I've been shot in worse places," Bogo said. Another voice cut in, one that Judy didn't recognise. "Sir, you must rest, it may not be life-threatening but you've still been shot! Put the radio down and let us get you in the ambulance."

"I TOLD YOU I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL THAT BASTARD IS CAUGHT!" Bogo bellowed. "Damn EMTs!"

"Sir, perhaps you should…" another voice was heard. Judy recognised Bagheera's voice easily.

"I SAID SHUT IT!" Bogo bellowed once more, silencing the lieutenant. "Anyway," he continued, as if nothing happened, "we've dispatched multiple officers to the docks, they just entered the gate you crashed through. We're gonna scramble chopper support as soon as it's refuelled."

"Sir, how did you know where we are?" Judy asked.

"Sir don't answ…" Nick tried to warn, before Bogo cut in.

"All police cars have trackers, Hopps. That's basic policing right there!"

"Sir, Higgins is listening in on the radio!" Nick shouted back. The silence that answered back was indicative of how badly the Chief knew he'd fucked up. Through all this, Judy and car 523 had been following on Higgins' heels. As Nick slapped a paw to his forehead, Judy had closed the gap on Higgins significantly, only fifty or so metres ahead, with Akela and Sabor just behind. It didn't matter if Higgins could hear what was happening on the radio; the rest of the ZPD were in the docks, and his car could be tracked even if he did manage to escape.

Therefore, it came as a surprise when Higgins slammed on his brakes.

Judy screamed as she swerved hard right to avoid Higgins' car…but not hard enough. She clipped the rear, which sent her and Nick spinning out of control. Their car slammed into the edge of a shipping crate, rebounding off another that sent them down a gap between the two. After another hit they finally came to halt, but the final crash caused Judy to slam her head into the steering wheel and Nick to be thrashed around, bouncing off the passenger door before they both came to rest. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like an hour as Judy came around, her head spinning and throbbing from the impact. When her head sufficiently cleared she tried to move, but this just caused new pain to explode. Undeterred, she turned to Nick, who was beginning to stir. She tried to reach for him, but her belt prevented her from moving. Unbuckling herself, she reached for her mate and shook him awake. Nick groaned as he finally opened his eyes.

"Nick? Thank God. Are you alright?"

"Ugh, nothing a few million painkillers won't cure. You?" he asked, his concern evident.

"I'm good…well, good enough," she said as she unbuckled Nick's seat belt. "Oh shit Nick, your arm!" she shouted, pointing at Nick's right arm, which hung limp at his side. Nick tried to move it and screamed, though his fingers did twitch.

"Damn, I think it's dislocated…" he breathed wearily. "Come on…" he said, starting to clamber towards Judy, his own door jammed against the shipping crate.

"Nick wait…"

"Judy, just shut up and get out. We need to find Higgins; my shoulder be damned. And don't start with the 'wait here,' bullshit. You're not heavy enough to pop my shoulder in, and the more we wait the further away Higgins gets. Let's go!"

Judy, not finding an argument that would convince her mate to stay behind, exited the car. A new wave of pain surged through her head and chest as she dropped down, but she still managed to help Nick as he retrieved a portable radio from the car.

"Sierra-Oscar-Five, come in," Bogo barked. "What's happening? Why have you stopped?"

"Higgins caused us to crash, sir," Nick relayed as he and Judy moved to the edge of the crates back to where they had bounced from the collision.

"Are you alright?"

"Not quite sure, my shoulder is dislocated and everything hurts. Judy's mobile but we're both in pain sir. Just going to check on…SHIT!" Nick cried as he and Judy rounded the corner of the crate. They saw Higgins' parked car, the rear end caved in by the force of Akela and Sabor's car. But their immediate attention was drawn to Akela, who was holding her partner's paw as she pressed the other to her gut.

It was covered in blood.

"Officer down! Officer down! We need an ambulance now!" Nick shouted as Judy ran back to their car to get the trauma kit. Nick had barely made it over to Akela when she arrived, her muscles in agony.

"What happened?" Judy asked as she knelt by Kelsey and prepared the pressure bandage. The cheetah's eyes were scrunched up in pain, her breaths short and harsh. Judy heard Nick directing the incoming police and ambulance to their location and hoped they would get here soon. She turned her attention back to Akela, and she was just staring at her partner. Deciding questions about the wound could be asked later Judy changed topic, though she knew a gunshot wound when she saw one. "Akela, I have the bandage, get ready to move your paw and put it back as soon as I'm done. You got that?" Akela's head snapped up, concern for her partner focusing her. She nodded.

"OK, on three. One, two, THREE!" Judy counted. Akela drew her paw away as Judy applied the bandage. As soon as she was done, Akela pressed down. As she did, Kelsey screamed in pain, her eyes bulging. Despite the cries, this was a good thing; if she was awake and crying out, it meant she still had a chance.

"I'm here, Kelsey," Bhrast said, giving Kelsey's paw a squeeze. Judy placed her own paw on the cheetah's arm, and Nick did the same. The contact seemed to stir the cheetah away from Akela and she turned and looked right into Judy's eyes.

"Heh, finally I meet the famous Judy Hopps…" Kelsey said, her voice ragged. "Cross that off the bucket list. Good thing too…"

"You're not going anywhere Kelsey; the ambulance is almost here. Listen," Nick said encouragingly. At that, Judy perked her ears up and did indeed hear the sound of sirens drawing closer, hopefully only seconds away.

"Oh, Nick Wilde too. Awesome…" she said, and took another long breath. "Hey Bhrast…"

"Yes Kelsey?" Akela replied.

"It's not your fault, no matter what that bastard said…" Kelsey said, but then her strength seemed to ebb and her eyes began to close.

"Kelsey, KELSEY!" Bhrast screamed.

"Jesus Bhrast, I'm just resting my eyes…" Kelsey said softly as she fought to keep her eyes open. Before Judy could say anything, the sounds of sirens became deafening. She turned and saw police cars parking close by, followed shortly by two ambulances. A horse and lion EMT ran from the closest ambulance with a stretcher, followed by a pig and wolf from the other. They moved Judy, Nick and Akela away from Kelsey and began administering help to her. Judy couldn't see what they were doing, but within minutes they had placed Kelsey on the stretcher and took her to the closest ambulance. The lion entered the rear while the horse jumped in the front, the ambulance speeding away soon afterwards.

A few seconds after, the pig EMT started to check on Judy. She waved him away, pointing to Nick's dislocated shoulder. After the EMT led the fox away to tend to his injuries with the help of his colleague, Judy turned her attention to Bhrast, who had her face buried in her paws, crying mournfully.

"Bhrast, I think Kelsey will be fine. It's not your fault…"

"But it is! It all is!" Akela shouted back as she looked up to Judy, tears causing dark brown streaks to appear under her reddened eyes.

"What do you mean?" Judy asked.

"Higgins…he…when we crashed into the back of him, we got out of the car. But we were dazed, we weren't paying attention. That's when he came out of his own car. Kelsey tried to go for her tranq gun, but he shot her!" she screamed, her sobs threatening to overtake her again.

"But again, that wasn't…"

"That's when he said it! He said it when he looked at me after I ran over to Kelsey! He said 'This is all your fault Bhrast! Bighana's death, the other two girls, Kelsey! ALL YOUR FAULT!'" she wailed, slamming her fists into the ground. "IT'S MY FAULT, HOPPS! ALL OF IT!"


	18. Backdraft

"CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THE BLOODY HELL YOU CAN LOSE A _**HIPPO**_ ON FOOT!?" Bogo bellowed. The assembled police officers in the room shrunk back in fear. The Chief was known for his temper, but this was something else. The fact that this tirade was delivered as he sat in a hospital room and wearing nought but a somewhat revealing paper gown did little to calm the mammals.

Nick and Judy stood outside the door, glad not to be on the receiving end of Bogo's ire considering they were the ones who lost Higgins in the first place. But since that was because he had caused them to crash and shot a fellow officer, they'd been forgiven. Admittedly, they were confused how the wanted captain had escaped from the docks, but they had other concerns.

Judy tried to stretch and groaned in pain. They'd been prodded, poked and treated for the last six hours and were exhausted, but they thought it best to come and see Bogo. Their injuries were relatively minor; along with a few cuts and bruises, Judy sported three cracked ribs, which hurt when she breathed too harshly. On inspection, it had been found that these had actually been done before the car crash, most likely when Higgins slapped her across the room during the initial confrontation. Nick's dislocated right shoulder had caused him a lot of pain when it was popped back in, and a later x-ray had shown his arm also had a fracture in his radial bone. He now sported a fetching cast and sling with strict orders not to use his arm for a month, though it would take around three to heal completely.

"Huh, I thought they would've given him a sedative," Nick said as Bogo continued.

"Oh, we did," a sheep nurse said as she trotted by. "Two doses!"

"You can't keep a good mammal down I guess. I mean, just look at us," Nick commented. Looking at Judy, he asked, "How you holding up?"

"Me? What about you?" Judy asked.

"Judy, I just can't use my arm for a little while. _You're_ the one who got smacked across a room by a hippo! You're lucky that your chest didn't cave in on impact! How the hell did you not notice cracked ribs!?"

"I dunno, adrenaline?" Judy said, raising her arms in exasperation. She regretted the action immediately as pain lashed along her chest. She was not looking forward to more than six weeks of this pain. Nick bustled over as she cried out, wanting to comfort her. "I'm alright Nick, just being a dumb bunny," she admitted. She knew that being unable to exercise for a few weeks or attend her lessons with Kate were going to drive her crazy, but if she didn't rest, she'd cause permanent damage. That said, Nick would be recovering for roughly the same period, and there were worse ways to spend time than cuddling up with her fox.

"My dumb bunny," he said and gave her a quick kiss. Before she could respond in kind, a stampede of police ran out of Bogo's room and out of the ward as quick as they could. They took that as their cue to finally speak to the Chief and entered. They were also glad to find Bagheera sat in a chair at the foot of the bed, seemingly assigning himself as interim bodyguard until things calmed down. He nodded a greeting to the two as they approached Bogo, but winced an expression of pain the two were starting to become all too familiar with.

"Hopps, Wilde, how are you doing?" the buffalo asked from his hospital bed. Surrounded as he was by the police earlier, this was the first chance they got to see the Chief after being shot. His left shoulder was encased in a plaster cast, with his arm raised and sticking out from his body.

"Better than you are, it seems," Nick said. "Though only just."

"Shattered shoulder blade. Gonna be in this thing for six weeks," Bogo huffed. "I look ridiculous."

"Better than being dead, sir," Judy said, actually glad to see how annoyed Bogo was.

"Yes, I have you to thank for that, Hopps. I should have let you tackle Higgins instead." A protective growl from Nick caused Bogo to raise an eyebrow. "Calm down, Wilde. It was a joke. I make them on occasion."

"You can also thank Bagheera, sir," Judy said as she gestured to the lieutenant, causing another lance of pain across her chest.

"Please, I just acted as a makeshift bandage, not before getting a mild concussion," Bagheera said as he stood up, a little unsteady on his feet. "Just wish I didn't have to stay overnight for observation."

"Nevertheless, I'm grateful to all three of you," Bogo replied as he tried to make himself more comfortable. "Any word on Officer Sabor?" he asked. Normally, he'd be the first one to know any updates on an officer going through major surgery, but being in a hospital room without his normal contacts readily available to him limited his awareness on what was going on.

"Not that we've heard, sir," Judy said. She was pulling for the cheetah despite meeting her only a few hours prior, and definitely not in the best circumstances. In their brief exchange, Sabor seemed really personable. No wonder Akela was worried. "Sirs? Has anybody spoken to Akela about what Higgins said to her?" she asked, her inquisitive nature taking hold again.

"Hopps, you don't need to worry about that. It's officially an Internal Affairs matter now," Bogo said.

"Technically true, sir, but it's not like anyone had a chance to a proper handover," Bagheera said. "To answer your question, no, Hopps. Simply haven't had a chance."

"Maybe we can?" Nick piped in, echoing Judy's thoughts. "Since it's still technically our case at the moment…"

"Seriously you two?" Bogo questioned, attempting to throw both arms up in the air before wincing in pain. It seemed Judy had started a trend.

"We're just saying if we can get any information out of her now, it might help us find Higgins faster," Judy replied. "We passed her on the way up here, we could talk to her. Informally, of course," she said. Akela's injuries were simple cuts and bruises, barely needing any attention at all, but when she was discharged, she set up camp in the surgical waiting area, hoping to get information on her partner as soon as possible.

Bogo looked over to Bagheera who considered it. "Fair enough," the Internal Affairs officer said. "See if you can get any info from her, but as soon as you've gotten anything useful, get it back to me and go home," he ordered. "Tomorrow I'll get the case officially handed over to Internal Affairs."

"Roger that, Lieutenant," Judy answered, throwing up a salute that she immediately regretted. "Dammit," she groaned as she clutched her chest. Nick wrapped his good arm around her, and his warm embrace calmed her for the few seconds she needed for the pain to subside.

"Come on, Fluff. The sooner we talk to Akela, the sooner we can get home and sleep." After saying their goodbyes to Bogo and Bagheera, the partners made their way to the surgical waiting area. Among the waiting mammals was Akela, in the exact same place she'd been when they'd gone to see Bogo. She was staring at the blank wall across from her, a forlorn expression on her face.

"Hey Akela," Nick said, raising his good paw. "Any word on Kelsey?"

The wolf turned to Nick, the fur under her eyes darkened by tears. She glared dagger eyes at Nick, then shook her head and turned back to the wall.

"Has anyone contacted her family?" Nick asked.

"She doesn't have any…" Akela mumbled, not facing away from the wall, then went silent. After almost a full minute of this, Judy and Nick turned to each other, and Nick indicated his head towards a corner of the room away from Akela.

"What's up?" Judy asked after they had moved away.

"I think it might be better if you talked to her alone, Carrots."

"But why?"

"Probably because she still hates my guts after everything that's happened. I doubt she'll be anything less than hostile with me around."

"But she…God, what a bitch," Judy muttered.

"Cut her some slack, Judy. She's had a rough few weeks, with her sister being killed by her boss, and now potentially her partner...possibly more."

"Wait, you mean her and Kelsey are…"

"Maybe. Let's just say if you were in surgery and may not come out, I'd probably be acting the same way…especially if I hadn't told you my feelings. Call it an educated guess."

Judy looked over to Akela and started to see what Nick had. She remembered her time in the hospital after Nick had been shot a year ago, seeing all the signs in Akela at that moment. The worry, the regret, the hope against hope, it was all there.

"Maybe you're right, about me talking to her. And the other thing. Now might not be the best time to antagonise her if we can avoid it…this time," she replied, the last part delivered in a low growl.

"That's my bunny," Nick said, sneaking a quick kiss. "I'll go back to Bogo, meet you there?" he asked and she nodded an affirmation. After Nick had left, she looked back to Akela, let out a breath and walked over to try and interview her.

"Akela?" she asked as neutrally as possible. After a few seconds, the wolf turned to her, eyes sad. "What do you want Hopps?" she asked in a low voice.

"I know you probably don't want to, but I need to talk to you. Nick and I need to ask you about what you said at the crash."

"You're right, I don't want to," she snarled.

"It'll help us catch Higgins." The name made Akela's eyes go wide before they settled into their more familiar annoyed look.

"You think you can, even after that fox crashed and lost him?" she said, turning away.

Judy clenched her fists at the words and had to force herself not to drop kick the wolf right then and there. "For your information, I was the one driving, so if it's anyone's fault apart from Higgins, it's mine. Also, out of curiosity, who was driving your cruiser?" The question caused Akela's head to snap around, teeth bared, but Judy wasn't taking any of that. She simply stared back, unflinching, not redacting in the slightest. Eventually, Akela's snarl abated and she stared right back just as hard.

Judy had been in situations like this before, just before things escalated into all out violence as two mammals refused to back down. Even blinking in these situations was enough to defuse them, for one mammal to accept subservience. For that moment, at least.

Akela blinked.

"I'm…sorry, Hopps," she said after a short silence.

"It's not me you have to apologise to," Judy responded, still staring at the wolf.

"I suppose you're right," Akela said, sighing. "I'll talk to Wilde later." Judy noticed the use of Nick's name, a rarity for the wolf. She usually said something along the lines of 'that fox.' It gave Judy a small hope that Akela might be coming around.

Before Judy could say anything to the somewhat repentant officer, a female raccoon in surgical scrubs walked up to the pair. "Officer Akela?" the doctor said as she pulled down her mask. Judy blanched at the blood that was spattered over the doctor's clothes, and found she'd placed a paw on Akela's back, despite everything.

"Yes, Doctor?" Akela asked, voice full of dread. The doctor then looked to Judy. "This is Detective Hopps, she's asking after Kelsey as well," Akela advised, answering the doctor's look.

"Oh, I'm very aware of who she is, Officer. It just means I get to deliver good news to both of you," the doctor said, smiling. Judy felt the tension in the air dissipate immediately. "Officer Sabor will be fine."

"Oh thank God," Akela barked out, her tears increasing as she almost broke down with joy. Judy smiled and patted the wolf's back.

"She's got some damage to her liver, and lost a lot of blood. She'll be confined to a wheelchair while she heals, but I expect she'll make a full recover-URHK!" the doctor grunted as Akela grabbed and hugged her tight.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Akela said, the tears becoming a waterfall as her prayers were answered. "When can I see her?"

"The assistant surgeon is closing her up now. After that, she'll be wheeled to the recovery ward. She'll probably be out until tomorrow at least, so I would suggest you go home and get some rest…but if you're anything like some other mammals I've encountered," the doctor said, nodding her head to Judy, "I wager you'll be staying."

"Thank you, Doctor…?" Judy asked, not recognising the doctor from any of her own stays.

"Mapache, Detective Hopps. I assisted during your partner's surgery last year, but I don't think we were properly introduced." Judy vaguely recalled a raccoon as a part of the surgical team, but most of her time during Nick's operation was spent in the waiting room filtering out the rest of the world, so she hadn't paid much attention. Still, the doctor definitely earned a hug from the bunny because of that, and did so, joining Akela.

"Days like this I wish I wasn't claustrophobic," Doctor Mapache said, causing the Akela and Judy to release her, uttering apologies. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish up Kelsey's paperwork. I'll get a nurse to come and take you to her when she's in the ward," she continued, addressing Akela. With that, she turned and left, leaving two grateful mammals behind.

"I'm glad Kelsey will be OK," Judy said, as Akela continued to sob. "Bit of advice though? Don't wait much longer to tell her how you feel." Akela stopped sobbing again and looked Judy dead in the eyes again, confusion on her face. "Nick spotted it, but I've been exactly where you are when he was shot."

Akela turned away and looked down at the floor, contemplating. "What if she doesn't feel the same?" she asked quietly.

"That's the risk you take. But imagine how you'd feel if she hadn't made it today and you didn't tell her," Judy stated, watching the horror cross the wolf's face.

After a few minutes of silence, where Akela looked thoughtful, she turned back to Judy. "OK Hopps, what do you want to know?" Unsure how to take the change of subject but not wanting to waste any time now that Akela was willing, Judy looked around and spied an open janitor's closet. She hustled Akela into it, relieved it was of a decent size to accommodate them both. She then retrieved her recorder pen and, after raising a questioning look to the wolf who nodded in return, pressed record.

"You mentioned at the accident that Higgins said it was all your fault. Do you have any idea what he could mean by that?"

"Not really…" Akela answered, but she seemed unsure of herself.

"Is there anything he's said to you that could help?"

"Nothing that would excuse a triple murder," Akela replied bluntly, and Judy could tell her mood had soured again. "Especially not of my little sister."

"Is there anything at all? Any indication of anything out of the ordinary?" Judy pressed. Akela knew something, she could tell, even if the wolf wasn't sure about it herself.

"Well, uhm…" Akela trailed off, embarrassment evident in her voice. "There is the time I turned him down for a date."

"What?" Judy asked flatly, trying to control her surprise.

"Look, I'm not proud of this, but in order to get back on the beat, I may have flirted a little over the last seven months. Nothing too bad, a compliment here, a little touch here. I knew he was married and, well, obviously I'm not into guys," Akela responded quickly. "It never went further than that…but he did ask me out. I said no and stopped the flirting immediately after that."

"How did he take it?" Judy asked, a little shocked. She wasn't sure if Akela was being 100% honest with her, considering she thought Higgins was happily married. But then again, Judy never thought he'd kill three mammals either.

"Fine…at least, I thought so," Akela said, as sadness returned to her face, to be replaced with pure panic a few seconds later. "Do you think he killed Bighana for revenge!?" she wailed.

"No, I don't think so, as that doesn't explain the other two deaths," Judy said quickly, hoping to calm Akela down. It worked a little. "Look, I think that will do for now. Bagheera might have some more questions for you later, but for now, go to Kelsey and think about what I said, hmm?"

"OK…thank you," Akela said, calming herself. At that, the mammals exited the closet just in time for a nurse to come fetch Akela. "Hey Hopps? Wilde's got good taste in partners," Akela said before turning away. Judy decided to take the compliment and made her way back to Bogo's room. As she entered, she saw Bagheera, Nick and Bogo with concerned looks on their faces.

"Ah, Hopps," Bogo said, a small smile appearing on his features for the briefest second. "Glad you're back. Did you get anything from Akela?" he asked, getting to the point.

"Not sure, sir," she replied, but offered the recorder. When nobody took it, she pressed play. The four mammals listened intently. After hearing everything, the males all looked slightly concerned.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked, not liking being out of the loop.

"While you were interviewing Akela, the officers we sent to Higgins's house came in," Bogo said. Judy didn't envy the poor mammals who had to do that. Giving news to a wife and child that their father was a wanted murderer was arguably worse than telling a family their loved one was dead.

"Didn't take it well?" Judy asked.

"Too well, actually, Hopps," Bogo said. "Apparently, she said she was expecting something like this, then showed Wolford and Fangmeyer the contents of Higgins's hard drive. Wolf porn. Lots of it. All female…mostly brown."

Judy took a second to process this. "So, the same colour as Akela…" she finally said, her brain catching up with the others in the room.

"Looks like it, Fluff," Nick said, putting his good arm round her shoulder. "Along with lots of stuff on how smaller females can…accommodate larger males." Judy felt her ears redden as Bogo and Bagheera quickly looked between her and Nick.

"It's not that much of a size difference…" she said demurely.

"Moving on!" Nick quickly said, glad his own fur colouring hid his embarrassment better than Judy's. "None of the stuff was illegal, but it seems the Higgins household wasn't as happy as we thought, and well, this raises some questions and answers some others. His wife suspected he was cheating on her, but their finances were always normal."

"We suspect that he was using the stolen pounce to fund his infidelity," Bagheera chimed in. "Selling off small quantities, which was probably why we never found any other dead bodies, or any that were related. We might have to go through some other recent deaths to see if anything can be attributed to a pounce overdose, but that said, if it was just small quantities, we might not find anything definitive."

"That still doesn't make that much sense," Judy said. "I mean, he's had the product for over a year, so has he just been doing this now? And if it's related to Akela flirting with him, the timeline doesn't match up. There's too much we don't know."

"Indeed," Bogo said, "but it's out of your paws now Hopps, officially. Or will be tomorrow morning in any case. Don't worry, both of your work will be recognised. But right now? Go home and rest, that's an order. I've arranged for Officer Wolford to drive you there."

Judy wanted to protest, but stopped herself. She was tired, in pain, and more importantly, so was Nick. They'd still get the credit for their work and they needed time to heal. "Thank you, sir. I think we need it," she said, turning to Nick, who smiled at her appreciatively.

"Good, now get out," Bogo ordered, and tried to make himself comfortable as he and Bagheera started their own discussion. Used to his terseness, Nick and Judy made their way out of the room and spotted the waiting Wolford.

"Thanks for the ride, bud," Nick said as they were led down to the parking lot.

"No worries guys, I'll be heading home myself after anyway."

"Heard you and Fang were the ones who broke the news to Higgins's wife. You doing OK?" Judy asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"As best as can be, I guess. She took it…weirdly. All calm and collected, understanding even. That was weird as hell. Oh, she cried a bit too, but for the most part it was…odd."

"Where's Fang anyway? Thought you two were joined at the hip?" Nick asked, his eyebrows waggling.

"I wish…" Wolford mumbled, before realizing he said that out loud. Judy rolled her eyes. It seemed that a lot of interspecies feelings were flitting around lately. Wolford was obviously embarrassed enough to not want to talk about it, so she nudged Nick to get him to drop it. However, as they exited the hospital and got into the car, the topic brought her mind back to Higgins, and her gut knotted. He was still out there, panicked and dangerous. She wished she could do something about it and started wondering if she had missed anything during the case, anything at all that could help bring him in.

"Why was she in the alley?" Judy said out loud.

"What'd ya mean, Fluff?" Nick asked while Wolford concentrated on driving.

"We never asked the question why Bighana was in the alley. The other victims seemed to have been purposefully dumped out of the way in Sahara Square and Tundra Town, but why was she within walking distance of her apartment…so why was she there?"

"Hmm…well, she was wearing jogging clothes, maybe she wasn't feeling well and went for a jog? You do that," Nick pointed out.

"Maybe," Judy hummed, tapping her chin. She knew there was something not right about it, and if only…

"Judy, let it go," Nick said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"I know that look, you're second guessing yourself, again. Yes, I agree we probably should have looked into that as well. Maybe it would have led somewhere, maybe it wouldn't have, but it's not our case anymore."

"I know, but I can't help feeling we missed something" Judy said, her ears drooping in resignation. She was worrying that if she missed something, it meant that Higgins had been able to do more damage because of her mistake.

"No point worrying about it now, Judy," Nick said, wrapping his good arm around her and giving her a hug. "We'll just have to learn from it."

"God, even when you guys are sad you're romantic enough to make me vomit," Wolford said, rolling his eyes.

"And yet you wonder why you're single, Barry," Nick shot back. As the boys started ribbing each other, Judy brought out her phone and started typing a quick text message, but before she could send it, the battery died. "Dammit!"

"What's wrong, Fluff?" Nick said, concerned. He moved his arm from her, assuming he had hurt her in some way. Judy reached up and put it around her again. She then looked to Wolford, who was keeping his eyes on the road, and internally shrugged, deciding against keeping Nick in the dark. Her plans had been ruined by today's activities anyway.

"I was trying to text Kate to tell her I can't make it to my lessons this weekend, or for a while." _DAMMIT JUDY WHY DID YOU SAY THAT!?_

"Lessons?" Nick asked, confused. "Kate…wait, isn't that the rabbit from Inferno!?" he asked, recognising the name. Judy nodded, and then glanced over to Wolford, who recognised the club from when he had to pick up the rowdy bison Nick had darted way back at the beginning of the investigation.

"Uhm…what was she teaching you?" Nick said, and Judy noticed the very slight reddening of his ears, always more difficult to see on her red-furred partner unless you knew where to look.

"Guess, Slick," she said with a sigh, not wanting to spell it out in front of Wolford. "I was gonna surprise you in a couple of weeks, but well, with these injuries…" she said, trailing off.

"Ok, now I _really_ want Higgins to rot in a cell!" Nick said with more force than he intended, causing Wolford to jump in his seat. Judy giggled at both their reactions, while noticing Nick's wagging tail. She looked out the window of the cruiser and noticed they were actually only a street or two away from Inferno. "Hey Barry, could you take a left here then a right? I need to run a quick errand. You're off duty now, right?"

"Yeah, officially," Wolford replied, taking the turn Judy indicated. "I'll just take the car to my place tonight."

"Good, then you can have _one_ drink. My treat," Judy said as she continued to direct him towards the Inferno club. "Kate's show isn't for a while but she should be there. I wanna let her know so we can reschedule our meetings and my phone's dead. Should only take five minutes," she explained to Nick. "You can get a drink too on me. Soda only though, because of those pain meds."

"Oh, OK Fluff," Nick replied, shrugging with his good shoulder. He would have rather headed straight home, but the small detour would at least give him a chance to wind down and shoot the shit with Wolford. A few minutes later the car came to a stop just outside the club. It was midweek, and somewhat early, so there weren't as many patrons as the last time they visited. The trio got out of the cruiser and made their way to the front of the queue, Wolford's uniform stopping any protests, and again, causing two mammals to scatter.

Nick knocked a random pattern as before, and Judy saw the spy hatch set in the door slide open. An audible groan was heard from inside, but the sound of the door unlocking soon followed.

"You know, if you cops keep showing up its gonna drive away some of our customers," Luther complained, ushering the trio inside. Before shutting it, he spotted something outside. "Hey, Charlie! I told you what would happen if you showed your fuckin' face around here again!" he bellowed as he moved. Judy heard feet running as fast as they could, and saw a rabbit-shaped blur speed off away from Luther, who decided against chasing.

"What was that all about?" Judy asked, remembering Kate's words about the buck Luther had most likely beaten to discourage his advances towards her friend.

"Nobody important," Luther said as he closed the door. Hr clicked his earpiece and summoned the same grizzly who took his place previously. "Just a guy who threatened to call a lawyer on me when I threw him out of the club. I swear, if I see him here one more time…"

"Police here, Luther," Nick interjected before the badger could finish.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Luther replied with a dismissive wave, but took the hint. "So, what do you need this time?"

"Nothing official, just need to talk to Kate, and get my fiancée and his friend a drink. Should only be five minutes, if that's OK?" Judy asked.

"No charge for the drinks. Owe you for helping out with the big bastard from a few weeks ago. You too if I'm any judge," Luther said, turning to Wolford.

"Yeah, that was me and my partner who took him in," Wolford said.

"Free drinks for cops. Must be going soft in my old age…" Luther grumbled as he led the way to Inferno's main floor.

"Luther, we're the same age…" Nick said.

"Says the guy with the fiancée in her twenties," Luther shot back. "Haven't quite got to my mid-life crisis yet."

Judy shared an eyeroll with Wolford as the two old friends traded barbs. Walking into the flame-themed main floor of the club, Judy found it quieter than her last visit, at least in terms of mammals present, as the music was still as loud as ever. She casually glanced round a few times, again spotting a few different mammals. Tigers, wolves, elephants, and possibly a rhino hanging out near the front of the stage. She couldn't quite see him with his back turned to her and his heavy clothes not showing his physique, but he was certainly large enough for a rhino. His feet were hidden by the chair so she couldn't guess his species from that either.

"Oi, copper?" Luther asked, taking Judy out of her thoughts. Without her realising it, they'd come to the bar where Nick and Wolford had their drinks, Nick a soda, and Wolford a small beer. She turned back to Luther, who jerked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating her to follow. Stopping for a moment to tell Nick she'd be right back, she followed Luther through the club and through the door to the backstage area. Judy followed him through the dressing room area, surprised that none of the girls reacted to their intrusion, or that Luther was ogling any of them. _Then again, he works here, so probably used to it. 'Seen it all,' as it were._ Luther greeted the girls as he walked past until they finally came to one of the smaller dressing tables where Kate was situated. She was about to start working soon, as she was fully dressed in her police outfit, her fur dyed grey, and was just putting in her contacts when Luther stopped.

"Hey Kate, got a visitor for you," Luther said, stepping aside so Judy could walk up to Kate.

"Judy!" the younger rabbit exclaimed, and went to hug her friend. Judy shied away from the contact, worried that it would cause her pain. Kate noticed the hesitation, but didn't question it. "What are you doing here? We're not due to meet until the weekend!"

"Yeah, sorry Kate, gonna have to put my lessons on hold for a while."

"Oh, why's that? You were getting really good at…uhm, Luther do you mind?" Kate said. Judy turned and saw Luther leaning against the wall, looking at the two rabbits.

"Spoil my fun, why don't you?" Luther replied. He put his finger to his ear as he got a radio message. "Yeah, I'll get on it," he said into the radio. "I gotta go grab a keg from downstairs, you gonna be OK finding your way back?" he asked Judy. When she nodded, he ambled away.

"Protective, ain't he? You got a thing going on with him?" Judy asked, not judging.

"He's almost twice my age. Besides, he's already got a girlfriend."

"Really? Someone can put up with him?"

"Seems like it. Anyway, don't change the subject! Why are you quitting?"

"I'm not quitting. I just can't do it for a few weeks," Judy said. To answer Kate's puzzled look, she lifted up the bottom of her shirt, showing her bandaged chest.

"Jesus Christ, what happened!?" Kate said, reaching out to the bandage before Judy could stop her. Pain shot through her chest, causing her to cry out. "Sorry, sorry!" Kate said as she withdrew he hand, seeing the pain she had caused.

"Nick and I got in a fight with a hippo, who won," Judy responded, willing the pain to go away. "You still sure you wanna be the next police bunny? This is the sort of thing you have to look forward to."

"Wait, hippo? You mean that police captain they keep showing the picture of on the news?"

 _Dammit,_ Judy thought. _Way to remember protocol, Hopps. Maybe Higgins hit me on the head as well._ "I'm not really supposed to say. Ongoing investigation and all that."

"Say no more, seems like you've had enough trouble as it is. Shame about you having to miss lessons though, your fox is going to miss a show. Good thing it was a surp…you told him about it, didn't you?" Kate said, seeing the look on Judy's face as she mentioned Nick.

"I had to come tell you about the lessons and he would have put two and two together eventually," Judy said in defence, though in all honesty, she could have handled this better. "Urgh, I'm such an idiot when it comes to sex stuff."

"Another way you're unique among rabbits I suppose," Kate replied, giggling. "I take it he'd still like to see it though?"

"Definitely," Judy said, thinking back to his reaction on the ride over.

"That's cool, we can sort out the details later. I think you should get home. Hell, you should have went home and just texted me!"

"Battery died," Judy explained. "But you're right, I better head out."

"I'll walk you to the backstage door. I'm on in a few minutes anyway."

"Oh, then I better get Nick home. I want the next show he sees to be mine," Judy said, eliciting a snort from Kate. The two bunnies made their way to the backstage door, past the curtained-off stage. Judy walked straight past, but Kate turned her head slightly to see how big the audience was, which would give her an idea of the tips she'd receive. However, she stopped dead. Judy walked ahead a few more steps before noticing her friend wasn't with her. She turned and saw Kate trying to look out of the curtain without poking her head out.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked as she padded over.

"Uhm...I think we may have a problem," Kate said nervously.

"What?"

"Well, this might be paranoia talking, but does that hippo in front of the stage look familiar to you?"

Judy's blood ran cold. Kate stepped out of the way, letting Judy take her position at the curtain. She looked out and saw exactly what she had feared.

Sat right in the front row, was William Higgins.


	19. Infernal Firefight

" _Shitshitshit,"_ Judy whispered, trying her best not to be heard by the wanted ex-cop mere feet away from her. _I gotta call this in_ , she thought and reached for her phone, groaning when she remembered her phone was dead. _Great, gotta somehow get to Nick and Wolford without him seeing me._ She looked to the exit to the backstage area and realised she was running a very high risk of being seen by Higgins. He'd already shot two officers today and endangered multiple civilian lives, and nobody had mentioned if they'd found his gun, so she was pretty sure what would happen if she was spotted. Plus, all it would take was for Higgins to start looking around before he saw Nick and Wolford as well. It all added up to a potential stampede and massacre. They needed to get the civilians out of harm's way and get back-up, fast.

Suddenly, a phone was thrust into her hands. Judy turned and saw Kate adjusting her 'Lewdy Hopps' costume. "Where the hell were you keeping this?" Judy asked, trying not to let her imagination run wild. _No Judy, the phone is not sticky, stop thinking right now!_

"Trade secret," Kate replied as she finished adjusting. "Call who you need to, I'll distract him. Just lemme know when you want me out of the way."

"WAIT, WHAT!?" Judy exclaimed before the music from Kate's performance started. Without further delay, the younger rabbit bounded out on stage and made sure she stopped right in front of Higgins, who seemed startled for a moment before calming down.

 _You stupid, reckless, unthinking…RABBIT!_ Judy screamed internally. _Huh, I wonder if this is how Nick feels 90% of the time? Focus, Judy, focus!_

What she _wanted_ to do was grab Kate, but that would certainly get her in danger now. Cursing, Judy decided the best thing to do was to get the rest of the club evacuated as quickly as possible. Using Kate's phone, she dialled Nick's number and prayed it had more charge than hers.

"Yes, Wolford, I'm certain that isn't Judy on stage you perv!" was the first thing Judy heard Nick say. She wanted to pull her ears down in embarrassment after hearing that, but she had no time. "Hello?" Nick finally said.

"Nick, it's Judy, I'm on Kate's phone. Where are you right now?"

"Still at the bar, what's wrong?"

"OK, can you see the stage without being noticed?"

"Yeah, they keep the bar pretty shaded. Why?"

"See that mammal in front of Kate on stage? It's Higgins."

"WHAT!?"

"Keep it down, Slick. Does Wolford have his radio?" A few seconds of silence followed before Nick replied in the affirmative. "Get him to radio in, and then clear all the civilians out as quick as possible. Is Luther there?"

"Yeah, hold on," Nick replied. After a moment, the gruff British accented voice replied. "The hell is going on, Hopps?"

 _Surname basis, he must be starting to like me,_ Judy thought sarcastically. "Luther, we have a suspect in your club. The hippo that Kate is dancing in front of right now. I need you to get the club cleared. He's both armed and dangerous…and leave this to the police!" she added after a second's thought.

"Alright, I'll have the security guys get everyone out. I'll get Harry out of his office, but I'm not leaving Kate alone in here, alright? I'll leave when she does," Luther replied. Judy was glad for his help, but was wary about him staying behind. Time wasn't on their side though, so she decided not to argue. "Wilde wants a word," Luther said. After a few seconds of silence while the phone was handed back, Nick spoke again.

"Wolford just called it in. Closest units are eight minutes out and Luther reckons everyone can clear out in one," Nick said. Judy cursed under her breath. While it was good to get everyone out, they would either have to keep Higgins distracted, which meant keeping Kate in danger, or try and take him themselves. Keeping her young friend in harm's way any longer than needed was out of the question.

She peered out of the stage door, trying not to be seen, and saw the security mammals moving the thankfully small audience toward the club's doors. A few did kick up a fuss, but the bears and other large mammals simply picked them up and carried them away. Deciding they had the job well in hand, Judy turned her attention back to Kate, making sure she was ready to step in if any danger presented itself. _Well, any_ more _danger than she's already in,_ Judy thought.

Whereas the previous show she witnessed had her disgusted, Judy had come to admire the dexterity and athleticism on display. It seemed Higgins was also enjoying the show, which caused her to shudder in disgust. Kate seemed to be OK with the attention for the moment, even planting a quick kiss on Higgins's snout, which was three times the size of the rabbit herself. However, she was still dancing far too close to the hippo for Judy's comfort.

The sound of running feet drew her attention away from Kate. Judy turned to see Harry and Luther make their way to her. Luther stopped while Harry carried on past her, his strides taking him back to the dressing room behind the stage. Judy heard him ushering the girls out of an emergency exit. She hoped they had time to put on something less revealing, otherwise they'd probably cause some traffic collisions outside the club. Probably thinking the same thing, Luther had a large black hoodie, probably his own, to cover Kate with as soon as she exited. Luckily, the thing would more than cover her if she had to go all the way nude for the show.

"Harry's gonna let me know when everyone else is outside," Luther said. He was tense, ready to usher Kate out the second he got confirmation that everyone had been evacuated over his security headset, or go for Higgins if the hippo even thought about hurting her. Judy was ready to do the same if it came down to it. She withdrew her lethal sidearm, knowing that Higgins had his own and would not hesitate to use it. Worry filled her mind, as this would be her first time using her lethal to try and catch a criminal. She met the marksmanship requirements, but Nick tended to handle the firearms better than her, despite his reluctance to use them. However, he shot with his dominant right hand, which was currently in a cast and sling. Meanwhile, Wolford, as a patrol-mammal, would only have his tranq pistol on him, which left him outgunned. So, it was probably up to her if this escalated into a deadly confrontation.

She checked her gun, then checked how Kate was doing. She was currently spinning upside down on the pole, her shirt having been discarded during Judy's conversation with Nick. Higgins look confused, yet enraptured.

"Just in case you need it, there's a shotgun in a locked safe under the bar. The combination is 7253," Luther said, snapping Judy out of her thoughts.

"What?" she asked, astonished.

"It's loaded with birdshot, and I have a concealed carry license," Luther replied. Judy wasn't that up to date on the concealed carry laws, but she bet Luther probably did if he had a gun. The fact it was in a locked safe, along with the birdshot, made it even better. It would be very difficult to kill someone with birdshot, even a smaller mammal like her, but it would sting like a bastard for most others. Hopefully, she wouldn't need it.

"How many rounds?" she asked.

"Six. Five in the pipe, one in the chamber. There's some more ammo in the safe too, including buckshot."

"Thanks," Judy said. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but it gave her some reassurance.

"Just put it back when you're done," Luther replied, keeping an eye on the stage. It had only been about three minutes since Judy's phone conversation with Nick ended, but the song would be coming to a close in another two and they hadn't had word if the club had been evacuated yet. Just as Judy was getting anxious, a text came through on Kate's phone. She quickly checked it. " _Wolford and I are behind the bar,"_ it read. She quickly sent back the info about the shotgun and the safe combination and told them to wait for her signal. She hit send just as Luther got a call on his radio.

"Everyone except Kate is out," he said as his body tensed, ready to either run on stage or run out with Kate. Judy tightened the grip on her gun, holding it down and ready to bring up at a moment's notice.

"On three, open the curtain, call to her and get her out of here. Then leave the rest to the police," Judy said. Once Kate was out of harm's way she'd be able to confront Higgins freely.

"Roger that," Luther replied.

"OK. One. Two. THREE!"

Luther threw the curtain open and shouted, "KATE! GET YOUR ARSE OVER HERE NOW!" The young rabbit, who was now down to her panties only, barely hesitated before bolting towards him. He rammed the hoodie over her and then ushered her out towards the emergency exit near the dressing rooms, telling her to run ahead of him. With that, he threw a mock salute to Judy, who nodded her gratitude as he ran after Kate.

"ZPD! HOOVES IN THE AIR!" Judy screamed as she rounded the curtain, gun held towards Higgins's chest. Behind her target and to her right, Nick and Wolford popped out from behind the bar, Nick holding his own pistol in his weaker left hand while standing on the bar. Meanwhile, Wolford had his tranq pistol drawn. Judy was slightly worried about that, wishing he'd opted for the shotgun, but could understand his reluctance. And not just because of the mountain of paperwork they would have incurred.

Higgins looked around and saw that he was surrounded, but his arms still weren't up. Judy screamed at him to do it again, but he didn't move. She was really starting to worry about the size of her weapon compared to the hippo. She had been assured that it was effective for any mammal, but at that particular moment, she was sure he'd take a headshot and barely feel it.

Thankfully, Higgins's arms began to slowly rise. Judy sighed with relief, as they were in no state for a protracted gun battle, especially Nick due to his current condition. She shifted her position slightly…just as Higgins went for his gun.

Before she even realised it, dumbfounded by the speed of the larger mammal, Judy found herself staring at the end of Higgins's gun again. That split second was going to cost her life as she saw him begin to squeeze the trigger.

"JUDY!" Nick howled and fired his weapon. Because he was using his weak hand, the shot went wider than normal, but it grazed Higgins's arm, causing him to wince and throw off his aim just as he squeezed the trigger. Judy finally began to dodge and almost screamed, positive that she felt a bullet sail between her ears. Unfortunately, her dodge took her off the raised stage and she slammed onto a table top, bounced and hit the floor. Her ribs screamed at her, but she fought down the pain just in time to see Wolford fire his tranq pistol. His shots went wide and missed Higgins by inches. Higgins turned towards the two predators and sighted on Nick.

"NICK!" Judy screamed and fired twice as she lay prone. She was rewarded with the sound of metal hitting meat and then Higgins's pained roar. But he still got off a shot. Judy turned just in time to see Nick hit the back wall of the bar, the display of bottles shattering. Her partner fell to the floor, screaming.

"NO!" Judy shouted as she forced herself to stand, her worst fears coming true. Nick was probably hit, bleeding from a wound she could never hope to stem, not with Higgins still moving. Vision swimming through pain and rage, she fired two more shots at him. One hit his ear, the other going wide as he dodged again. _Why is it so damned hard to hit someone as big as a car!?_

As he moved, Higgins caused multiple chairs and tables to go flying, blocking her shots. Temporarily blinded, Judy heard more shots ring out towards Wolford's direction, then a gut-wrenching howl that made her assume he was hit. She fired three more shots blindly, hoping to get Higgins away from her fellow officer. The rounds went through tables and chairs, causing the wood and plastic to splinter and explode. A momentary gap in the carnage let her see Wolford slumped against a far wall, gun missing, holding a wound on his chest. He was still breathing though, which allowed her to try and focus on Higgins for the time being.

The chairs stopped flying and she saw the hippo grinning. Most of her rounds had hit home, but they only slowed him down. He raised his gun to fire again, and Judy leapt as hard as she could despite the protestations of her ribs. The shot missed entirely as she sailed upwards, and she landed on top of a miraculously undisturbed table, the impact causing her to cry out as her chest rattled. She didn't have time to stop though, as Higgins sighted her and fired. She leapt again, and again, each time the shots getting closer and closer. She lost count of how many times she dodged the bullets when she leapt again and landed on a chair.

A chair that had one leg slightly shorter than the others, as it turned out.

As she landed, the chair shifted slightly, causing her to lose balance, fall over, hit the edge of the chair and fall flat on her back on the floor. On impact, her chest exploded in pain and she cried out, dropping her weapon. The pain was so bad she could barely breathe, let alone move. Darkness filled the edges of her vision as she tried to stay awake. Adrenaline filled her body as she tried to move. Unfortunately, before she could do so, the immense form of Higgins was stood over her, gun pointed downwards.

 _So, this is how it ends. At least it'll be quick,_ Judy thought as she closed her eyes and waited.

*CLICK*

"FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK!" Higgins bellowed. Judy opened her eyes and saw him pull the trigger again.

*CLICK. CLICK. CLICKCLICKCLICK*

He was empty! The hippo roared in anger and stopped, breathing harshly. After a few seconds, he smiled. Judy cringed at that and saw him rotate the pistol in his hand. He held it by the barrel like a hammer and then knelt over her.

 _Oh, this is going to be so much worse than being shot,_ she thought as Higgins raised the gun, ready to strike.

 ***BOOM***

The sounds echoed around her as Higgins roared in pain from something that struck his side. Judy turned and saw Nick, bleeding from multiple cuts as he held the badger-sized shotgun on his outstretched arm. With amazing dexterity, he tossed it lightly, grabbed it by the fore-end, pumped it once with a loud *CH-CHAK* sound and tossed it again to grab the stock and trigger. He then began advancing as he fired and shouted.

" _GET!"_

 ***BOOM***

*CH-CHAK*

" _AWAY!"_

 ***BOOM***

*CH-CHAK*

" _FROM!"_

 ***BOOM***

*CH-CHAK*

" _MY!"_

 ***BOOM***

*CH-CHAK*

" _ **MATE!"**_

All the shots hit home, causing Higgins to roar as he tried to turn away. The last shot hit the hippo in his left knee, causing him to stumble and fall backwards. Even though it was a shotgun, the range and shot wasn't enough to put Higgins down for good, but Judy could see it was hurting him a lot. Before she could react, Nick had lumbered over, jumped on Higgins's chest and pointed the barrel into his open mouth.

"I have one round of buckshot left. Even your thick hide won't save you from this angle and range, and so help me, if you even _breathe_ aggressively I will blow your brains out," Nick said quietly. His voice was hard and unforgiving. No hint of smugness or humour in it. If she hadn't heard and seen it with her own eyes and ears, she'd never believe Nick could be that aggressive.

It was kind of a turn on.

Judy forced herself to sit up. She saw Nick's ears turn in her direction, but his eyes never left Higgins, who was lying so still that the slight rise and fall of his chest (and conversely Nick) was the only part of him moving. "You OK, Fluff?" he asked, his voice radiating concern.

"I'll live, Slick," she said, despite the pain. "I thought you were dead…" she mewled, tears beginning to form.

"Sorry, honey bunny. Took a while to change the birdshot out with one hand."

"Will you two stop being so bloody sickeningly romantic for one minute!" Wolford shouted from the other side of the room. "Either that or just finish me off."

"You doing OK, Barry?" Judy shouted, feeling ashamed for forgetting about their fellow officer.

"Urgh, I think so, my vest stopped the worse of it but I'm still bleeding cos of that damned hand cannon that fat fucker had! Think if he'd been any closer to my heart it would've stopped," Wolford said as he tried to move, but gave up on the third try.

"Just sit tight there, Barry. Help should be here soon," Nick said. Judy couldn't believe that reinforcements hadn't arrived yet. That meant this whole firefight had lasted less than ten minutes.

As if summoned by the thought, a door on the far end of the bar burst open, revealing a mammal in SWAT gear shouting, "ZPD! NOBODY MOV…Oh Goddamnit! Wilde! Hopps! Can't you let anyone else do any work for once!?" the voice said, though Judy was unsure if it was sarcastic or not.

"The fuck am I then?" Wolford said as he laughed, but started coughing a few seconds later.

"You're the plucky sidekick, Wolfy," Nick said, his demeanour returning to normal. "Hey Grizzoli, could you come over here and get this bastard out of my sight? My arm's getting tired," Nick said, then he fainted.

The next few minutes were a blur of activity. Mammals fussed over the injured police officers, while half a dozen other SWAT mammals had their guns trained on Higgins, daring him to look at them funny. Judy tried to push several of her chaperones away to see if Nick and Wolford were OK, but to no avail. Eventually, paramedics arrived to attend to the police mammals and Higgins. Even though the buckshot hadn't been enough to kill him, he was still in bad shape, and he was whisked away under armed guard to the nearest hospital. Wolford was next, having the worst injuries of the three. It turned out he was the only one who caught a bullet from Higgins.

Nick, meanwhile, had recovered consciousness after being out for a few seconds. Thankfully, he managed to dodge just in time when Higgins shot at him, his injuries being mostly from the fall to the ground and shards of glass from the bottles behind the bar.

"You're a damned lucky fox, all things considered," the moose paramedic said as he treated Nick. Judy had refused any treatment until he was seen to first. As a compromise, the two were being treated together as they sat next to each other in the back of an ambulance, a skunk EMT fussing over Judy.

"Got my own two lucky rabbit feet right here," Nick said as he leaned over and gave Judy a quick kiss, causing her to blush.

"I'm the lucky one, Nick. You saved my life. Twice," she replied.

"Pretty sure you did the same for me during this. But I stopped counting after…OW!" Nick yipped as the moose working on him removed a large piece of glass embedded in his shoulder. The moose immediately disinfected the wound, numbed it and started stitching. Judy heard him mumble something under his breath.

"I'm sorry, would you care to repeat that? Something about 'interspecies filth?'" Judy questioned. The medic blanched at her. "Ears aren't just for show, pal."

"Just get on with the job, Greg, and keep your mouth shut," the skunk checking Judy over said as he finished up. "Sorry about that."

"You have nothing to worry about," Judy said, glaring at the moose who was doing his best to hide behind Nick, a mammal five times smaller than him.

"Still though," the skunk replied. "Name's Pepe by the way, my wife's a panther. Pleasure to meet you both."

"Likewise," Judy said. Judy saw Wolford on a stretcher being moved into an ambulance nearby. "He gonna be ok?" she asked with trepidation.

"Should be," Pepe replied. "The vest stopped most of it, but he still got shot in the chest and it broke the skin. They're probably being cautious."

Judy let out a breath, glad that Wolford was out of immediate danger.

"The hippo on the other hand…hoo boy. He'll live, but they're gonna spend several hours taking that buckshot out. I imagine he'll be walking funny for a while."

"Fully deserved," Nick growled, causing his paramedic to pause mid-stitch.

"Nick shot him when he was about to bash my head in," Judy explained to the surprised Pepe.

"Ah. Well then, can't say I disagree. Anyone tried that with Penelope and I'd probably do the same. You just about done there, Greg?"

"Yeah, all ready," Greg replied, finishing off Nick's last stitch. "Unfortunately for you two, we've been ordered to take you back to the hospital. Apparently the on-call doctor doesn't want to risk her hard work from earlier going to waste again. I would not want to be the ZPD's accountant when they come to sign off on your medical expenses."

"Great," Nick and Judy groaned together.

* * *

Notes:

Thanks to DrummerMax64 for the editing and proofing.

I'm gonna take a wee break from the story, only about a week. Working on an nontraditional horror one shot and I've had to take my wife to hospital on three successive days. So a bit knackered and stressed.


	20. Anxiety

Almost three weeks had passed since the gunfight at Inferno, and Judy was still exhausted. The severe stress of her and Nick's first case as detectives and the injuries they had both sustained in the line of duty had taken their toll on them. Usually on her days off she would take a morning jog or walk, managing to get Nick to join her three times out of five. Now though, she was enjoying the forced relaxation and sleep-ins. Despite only being in her mid-twenties, recent events had her feeling that middle-age was approaching fast. To that end, she was more than happy to spend the time relaxing and cuddling with Nick.

She was worried for her fiancé though, as he was under an Internal Affairs investigation. _Again_. Apparently, it's a bad idea to use a civilian's shotgun against a suspect without warning them. However, while he couldn't outright say anything, Bagheera had hinted assurances that it was more of a formality than anything, considering it was used to save the life of a fellow officer. But it was Nick's second investigation in as many years, and that would always show on his record. Officially, this meant he was suspended from anything but paperwork while the investigation wrapped up, but since they were off for a few weeks anyway due to their injuries, it made little difference.

Judy was also being investigated for allowing a civilian, Kate, to help with the investigation and putting her in danger as a result. Again, Bagheera hinted that there was nothing to worry about, since the stripper had volunteered and not waited for a response, as confirmed in both Judy and Kate's statements. It was also in Bagheera's opinion that ensuring the safety of the other patrons and making sure Kate was out of danger as soon as possible were the best things to do in the situation. Still, Judy couldn't help but be a little worried about putting her friend in danger and the repercussions for doing so. She really hoped her first case as a detective wasn't also her last.

In the grand scheme of things, what this meant was that Nick and Judy were essentially being paid to take time off work, with unofficial assurances that it wasn't anything to worry about. They had considered going to Bunnyburrow to swap the chaos of the city for the chaos of the Hopps farm. However, since they were under investigation they weren't allowed to leave the city, even if the ZPD's jurisdiction did extend to the outlying areas when appropriate. That said, they weren't up to much more than sleeping, cuddling, and cuddling while sleeping. So, it all worked out…for a while.

One day, Judy was taking a shower while Nick was playing a game of _Halo: Wombat Evolved_ despite his arm injuries. He had tried during the first week of their convalescence, but it had caused him too much discomfort. Now though, enough strength and dexterity had returned to him, meaning he didn't need the sling, though the cast remained. Judy was glad for this, as she noticed Nick had become more relaxed with the gift of the console. When asked about it, he said he hadn't been able to play a lot of games while growing up, so he was catching up for lost time. Plus, it was a gift she had gotten for him, so he wanted to show his appreciation for it.

Her ears perked up at the sound of her phone, being able to hear it despite the running water. The sound of gunshots and explosions ceased, presumably as Nick went to answer it. She was nearly done with her shower, so if whoever was calling needed her she would only be a few seconds. She turned off the water and was able to hear him clearly answer, "Judy's phone, Nick Wilde speaking." As she reached for a towel, she noticed the silence that followed Nick's answer lasted a little too long. Wrapping the towel around herself, she stepped out of the bathroom and witnessed a sight she very rarely saw: Nick Wilde speechless.

This was not due to shock, however. He simply looked too angry to respond.

"Wilde, are you there?" Judy hear the tinny but unmissable voice of Chief Bogo from the phone. Nick responded slowly, pressing the screen. A few seconds later, Bogo's voice was far more audible. "Why have you taken us to Muzzletime, Wilde?" Bogo asked.

"So I can look you right in the eye while I tell you to take the phone and shove..."

Not wasting a second, Judy darted forward and snatched the phone from Nick's paw. "Shove it in my paws thanks Nick!" Judy said hurriedly, glaring at her fiancé. The grimace on Nick's face softened, but only slightly as he raised his hands in mock surrender and sat down on the couch. Judy saw that the Chief was still in his arm brace and wearing a ZPD t-shirt. He seemed to have propped the phone up on something, allowing him to operate the phone one-handed. There was about a second of silence, then Bogo covered his eyes.

"Hopps, please put some clothes on."

Judy's ears reddened as she looked down and saw that she had dropped her towel in her scramble to grab the phone off of Nick. She tossed the phone back to him before running into their bedroom, grabbing one of Nick's t-shirts, which would easily cover her, and throwing it on. She quickly returned and took the phone from Nick before he could do anything. "Sorry about that, sir!" she said. "How can I help? Wait, shouldn't you be recovering?"

"I can't relax when I have one of my men in prison awaiting trial for multiple homicides, conspiracy, drug charges and God knows what else," Bogo huffed, a small bit of blush still showing on his face. "That's why I'm calling, actually. As I was explaining to Wilde, I was asking if you could both come to Lion Heights Prison as soon as possible."

"But why, sir?" Judy asked, confused.

"Higgins has recovered enough to talk, but he's refusing to do so with anyone but you two."

The answer made Judy pause as she turned to Nick, whose face was set in a scowl. She now had an inkling as to why he had reacted the way he did to Bogo. Since the encounter, he'd gotten very overprotective of her, despite the fact she had taken down animals of Higgins's size single-handedly before. She was trying to be understanding about it, because in all fairness, she had nearly died. That being said, he'd nearly been killed as well (or so she thought at the time) and she wasn't acting the same way he was.

"Are we actually allowed, sir? I mean, we're both under investigation by Internal Affairs."

"Sorry, I should have told you this first," Bogo said, chiding himself slightly. "Bagheera informed me this morning that both yourself and Wilde have been cleared. I would have informed you sooner, but I've also been arguing with them about their request to have you interview him."

"The request came from Internal Affairs?"

"Yes. Higgins recovered enough to speak a week ago, but they've had no success in getting him to talk."

"Did…did they fast track their investigation into us just to get us to talk to him?" Judy asked, concerned. While she appreciated being cleared of any misconduct, more so for Nick, she didn't like the possibility of being given preferential treatment. Especially if this came up later in their careers. It could be construed as favouritism, at best.

"I've been assured by Bagheera that this was not the case. He said they wrapped up your investigations in the time they needed, otherwise he wouldn't have made the call," Bogo replied. "Do you think you can handle it?"

Judy's first reaction was to jump in and say, "of course!" but she paused. She didn't want to answer for the both of them like she usually did, especially since it was obvious Nick was dead-set against the idea. "Sir, can I discuss things with Nick for a minute?" she asked.

Bogo raised an eyebrow, but also smirked. "Of course, Hopps. Give me a call when you've made your decision," he answered, and ended the call. Judy placed her phone on the coffee table and turned to Nick.

"No," Nick said flatly.

"Can we at least discuss this before you give me an answer?" Judy asked irritably. The look on Nick's face made her rethink her response. "Nick, he's in prison surrounded by heavily armed police, and from the amount of buckshot you put in him, he won't be a threat."

"That's what we thought before, and look what happened," Nick said, pointing to her chest. She instinctively raised a paw to where her broken ribs were, the bruising just visible underneath her fur.

"OK Nick, I get it, we're both still hurt. But we have to help!"

"No, Judy, we don't _have_ to do anything. Bogo didn't order us. If he did I'd be there, you know that. But he's giving us a choice."

"Oh, so if we're off duty and we see a hit and run, we do nothing!?" Judy shouted. She cursed herself for it, the last thing Nick needed was for her to imply he would shirk his duty. He never had before. As Nick went to bark a reply, she added, "I'm sorry, Nick," which gave her fiancé pause. "That wasn't fair to you. You'd never do that. It's just...we've been in dangerous situations before. You've always had my back, and I've always got yours."

"This is different..."

"I know, but we've been in dangerous situations."

"Yes, and I'm sure we'll be in many more."

That made Judy stop. She assumed Nick was worried about her being in the same room as Higgins. Hell, the way he had been acting lately had reminded her of her parents, making her think Nick might not want her going back to police work full stop. But the acknowledgement of being in such a situation again surprised her.

"So…this isn't about you being scared of losing me?"

"Not wholly, no. I'm scared of that every time already, but being so just makes it more likely to happen. Remember when we caught that armadillo drug dealer not long after I came back after my therapy? The one who held a gun to your head?"

Judy nodded. She was so proud of Nick for that. Not just for saving her life, but also for not letting his fears and anxieties control him.

"If I ever get anxious, I just remember that moment, and it reminds me of what I need to do for you and the city," Nick said.

"So, what is it then? What's got you so riled up over Higgins?" she asked, concern radiating from her.

Nick sighed, and looked at his arm. "If I get put in a room with that bastard, I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself."

"What, you're worried about hurting him?"

"Look, Judy, I know people might die in this job…but I never _wanted_ them dead before…"

And there it was. Nick wasn't scared for Judy. He was scared of himself.

"When I saw him standing over you…I just lost it. I should have followed procedure and given him a warning. But I just fired, again and again and again. I didn't care that he'd stopped. Honestly? When he was on the floor and I was standing on his chest, I nearly pulled the trigger."

"So, why didn't you?" Judy asked. She thought she knew the answer, but Nick needed to say it.

Nick sighed again and looked to floor, mumbling. "Because you were there."

"So?"

"I didn't want you to think I could do that to someone. Kill them in cold blood…what if I had? Would you have reacted? Would you have taken me in? Would you have tried to stop me?" He choked a little before starting again. "Would you still have loved me?"

And there it was, all so clear. In a fit of rage, Nick had made a rash but understandable decision. Because of that, his anxieties were back. After everything they had been through, he still didn't think he was good enough for her.

"Nicholas Wilde. You're an idiot," she said. Jumping over to the couch, she embraced and kissed him. "What do you think I would have done if the situation was reversed?"

"I dunno? Used your tranq gun? Given him a warning at least."

"No. I would have blown his brains all over the floor."

That shut Nick up immediately. He stared at her in disbelief as she continued.

"If it's a choice between you and anyone else, it's no contest, Slick. Hell, I probably would have done the exact same thing for the exact same reasons."

"C'mon, Fluff," Nick said disbelievingly. "You honestly think I'd believe that you, Miss 'make the world a better place,' would do that?"

"By the love of all that is holy, Nick, I thought _you_ of all mammals would know I'm not really like how the ZPD press department tries to paint me."

"Well, of course, but…"

"Nick, I'm as much of a regular mammal as you are. If someone was hurting you, I'd stop at nothing to hurt them back."

"Carrots, you're anything but regular. First ZPD rabbit. The doe that brought down Bellwether. Marrying a fox," Nick said jovially.

"C'mon, Slick. _You're_ anything but regular. First ZPD fox. The tod that brought down Bellwether. Marrying a rabbit," she replied, mimicking his tone exactly while smirking. She waggled her eyebrows after finishing as she saw his look of confusion. "You may think you're not good enough for me Slick, but I will tell you every day if I have to. You are the perfect mammal for me." She leaned forward and kissed him passionately. "Besides, seeing you all powerful and fierce like that, when you were stood on Higgins's chest? WHEW. Quite a turn on," she said, thinking back to the end of the fight. She felt the blush return to her ears.

" _Really,"_ Nick replied as he smiled, his eyes closing a little.

"Oh God, do not give me that look right now. We need to go interview Higgins, OK? I mean…if you're good to do so?" she asked.

The seconds ticked away as Nick thought about it. Eventually, he looked her in the eyes and nodded.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Judy. I'm sure. I still want to shoot the bastard though."

"I can live with that," Judy said, smiling. She then got off her fox, grabbed her phone and punched in Bogo's number.

"Ah, Hopps," Bogo replied. "Got an answer for me?" he asked, not wasting any time.

"Yes sir, we're in."

"Excellent. I'll send a car for you now. Should be about five minutes."

"Actually, sir…" Judy trailed off and turned to Nick, who raised an eyebrow. She checked that she definitely wasn't on Muzzletime for this call, then squirmed out of the shirt she was wearing, letting it slide to the floor. She turned to face Nick, whose tail was wagging rapidly. "Give us an hour," she said before cutting the call and leaping for her fox.


	21. Warded Interview

" _Ow ow_ _ **OW**_ _._ Why the hell did I think that was a good idea?" Judy asked, clutching her ribs as she sat in the back of the ZPD cruiser sent to pick them up. Despite her intentions, her impromptu tackling of Nick and subsequent attempt at sex hadn't taken an hour. That was because after five minutes of repetitive motion her ribs were screaming in agony.

"I could make a joke about that, you being a rabbit and all, but I hurt too much to endure one of your arm punches for making racist jokes right now…" Nick wheezed. He had fared little better; his own bruises ached, and he had his arm smacked against the floor when Judy landed on him. He had also said he'd felt one of his stitches rip, but as they had dissolved some time ago, they couldn't find any evidence. Most likely he had pulled a muscle that wasn't quite healed.

"Could you guys not have this conversation right now?" asked Officer Jackson from the driver's seat, trying not to sound too embarrassed.

"Yeah, I could do without thinking about either of you in that position," his partner, Officer Delgato, added.

"Sorry Del," Nick said, smirking and obviously not sorry. "Just what kind of positions do you see us in, out of curiosity?"

"WILDE! There's a lady present!" Delgato shot back.

"And this lady would like to know!" Judy responded. She could feel the embarrassment radiating off the two felines in the front seat. While she didn't always join in with Nick's ribbing, she admitted it was sometimes fun.

"Oh God, Wilde's rubbed off on her…" Delgato muttered, and then turned to face the two mammals with horrified realisation in his eyes.

"Well, a few times, yes…"

"OK Nick, let's give them a break," Judy said, eliciting a couple of relieved sighs from their chauffeurs. She was risking hurting herself more if she laughed too hard.

"Humph, they're just jealous," Nick said, smiling as he sat back in the rear seat trying to get comfortable. "I mean, the way your hips move when you…"

"TWENTY BUCKS TO STOP TALKING FOR THE REST OF THE CAR RIDE!" Delgato shouted.

Judy, who was smiling wide, looked to Delgato and simply replied, "Fifty."

"DEAL!" Jackson said, handing his wallet to his partner as Judy burst out laughing.

* * *

"This is your fault," Judy said as she caught her breath, leaning against a wall just outside the public entrance to the prison. The car ride had her howling with laughter until she stopped from the pain. When Delgato and Jackson had dropped them off, they'd driven out of the prison parking lot so fast the tire smoke was still visible.

"Sorry Fluff," Nick said with genuine concern. "You need me to carry you?"

"Nick, I'm in pain, not an invalid," she replied. "Besides, you've only got one fully working arm." With that, she righted herself off, dusting off her red leather coat. She looked over and saw Nick deposit the money he had gotten from Delgato and Jackson into his wallet. "I can't believe you did that."

"What can I say, the hustling skill never leaves," Nick said as he pocketed the cash. "They made the offer, and I made good on my promise. Besides, now we have cash for a decent meal after this."

"I guess," Judy conceded. She could never stay mad at Nick for too long. "C'mon, someone must be waiting for us inside."

The two partners headed into the prison. Immediately they saw Bogo, Bagheera, and Captain Vines waiting by the security desk.

"Hopps, Wilde," Bogo greeted, smiling as he saw the pair. "Thank you for coming in."

"No problem, sir," Judy replied, looking over her boss. His arm was still in the cast as she had seen in their phone call, causing him to stand awkwardly. "Are you OK? Should you even be here?"

"I'm the Chief of Police, Hopps. I don't get the luxury of being able to relax, since there's nobody to order me to take time off."

Judy smiled at Bogo and turned to the two mammals next to him. "It's good to see you both as well Lieutenant, Captain."

"You too," Vines replied as he reached into his pocket. "It gives me great pleasure to return these to you both." In his paws were their badges. Judy's chest tightened at the sight, and only felt relief when she took hers, gripping it hard as if afraid it would leap out of her paws. Nick seemed to do the same as he took his before returning it to his pocket. "No firearms, sir?" he asked.

"It's a prison, Wilde, they don't let people aside from certain guards carry them as a rule. After you've finished here we'll return to the precinct for them. There's something we all need to discuss with you and the other detectives once we get there anyway."

Nick huffed at the answer, causing eyebrows to be raised, including Judy's. Nick noticed and raised his paws disarmingly. "It's fine, sirs, just feeling a bit anxious about being in the same room as him without protection. That's all."

"Wilde, he's still in the prison's hospital ward, and will be secured to his bed for the duration of the interview," Bogo assured, his features softening. "Plus, two armed guards will be there, including the head of security here, Vachir. He's the biggest rhino you've ever met, and if Higgins so much as twitches funny he'll come down on him like a tonne of bricks. He takes his duty very seriously. We won't let you be harmed. Either of you," the Chief added, obviously knowing where Nick's concerns were coming from.

Nick's mood didn't change, so Judy felt the need to comfort him, placing her paw on his arm. He turned and locked eyes with her. "I'll be fine, Slick. I've taken out guys his size before, I'll be ready this time if he tries anything."

With that said, Nick visibly relaxed. He knew she could take care of herself. He turned back to his superiors. "In all honesty, it's probably for the best anyway."

"Wilde, I expect you to be professional during the interview, no matter your personal feelings," Bogo warned. "That means I better not hear any new injuries on Higgins and that he 'fell down the stairs' or other such excuses."

"Well, I wouldn't do that, sir."

"Good."

"Mostly because there's no stairs in the cells. Maybe he'll fall and crack his skull on the toilet," Nick said jokingly. The stony silence from Bogo indicated this attempt at humour was not appreciated.

"Wilde, I will choose to ignore that statement because of the extraordinary circumstances of this case, and understand that you may harbour less than favourable feelings towards Higgins." Bogo took a deep breath. "However, that had better be the _last time_ I ever hear you speak of abusing suspects in custody, even as joke. Understood?" Even with the ridiculous arm brace, Bogo's stance and low tenor brokered no argument.

"Yes sir," Nick said after swallowing. He stood rigid and saluted. "Won't happen again."

"Glad to hear it, Detective," Bogo replied, though his features remained hard.

"I guess that's my cue to take over. This is still an Internal Affairs matter, after all," Bagheera said, stepping forward. "Please follow me, Detectives." With that, he turned and led them through a security checkpoint. After being checked with metal detectors, they were escorted by Bagheera through the prison to the hospital ward. As they walked, Judy couldn't help but think of one particular prisoner.

"You wondering about Bellwether?" Nick asked.

"How'd you know?" Judy replied.

"Cos I'm thinking the same," he answered. "You know she's up at Yakgate Female Penitentiary, so we won't run into her here."

"Yeah, I know, just can't help thinking about it."

"I always wanted to ask you two about how you cracked that. I know the official story of course, but it seems there would be more to it. Especially about how the hell Lionheart got reinstated as mayor afterwards," Bagheera said as they approached the hospital ward of the prison. "And yet again, it seems I won't get the chance. Always work to be done," he finished as a guard let them through the barred gate.

They walked past a set of rooms that would not have been out of place in any hospital. Judy expected them to essentially be cells with hospital equipment inside, but she assumed that if doctors needed to attend to a patient, that wouldn't have been feasible. Eventually they came to a stop outside a room which stood the largest rhino she had ever seen, next to him an elephant that was only slightly bigger. Judy tried to glance into the room, but the windows were too high off the ground for her to see inside easily.

"Detectives, this is the head of prison security, Detention Officer Duncan Vachir, and his second-in-command, Hathi Cummings," Bagheera said.

"Nice to meet you," Judy greeted, extending a paw. The massive rhino grinned and offered his hoof, while Hathi offered his trunk. They then did the same with Nick.

"Nice to meet you, Detectives. Always good to see a celebrity."

"Officer Vachir…actually, is that right?" Nick asked, unsure of how to address the rhino since prison guards were not part of the ZPD.

"Just call me Vachir, Detective."

"Thank you. How secure is the prisoner?"

"You doubt my prison's security?" Vachir asked, his voice carrying an undercurrent of threat.

"Not at all," Judy cut in. "My fiancé is just overprotective. Higgins nearly killed me a few weeks ago, so…"

"Ah, fair enough then," Vachir replied, placated. He turned back to Nick before continuing. "Detective, I can assure you that your mate will be perfectly safe. For the duration of the interview the detainee's bed will be locked in place and secured to the wall. The detainee has also been secured to the bed via our toughest handcuffs. I will also be present in the room for the duration while Hathi here will be guarding the door."

Nick let out a breath that Judy hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Thank you Vachir, that is very much appreciated."

"No problem."

"Good. Now that that's all settled, shall we get a move on?" Bagheera interrupted. "The sooner we get this done with, the sooner you two can get back to your recovery."

"Gotta ask, Detectives," Vachir said, annoying Bagheera, "what happened to this guy? I haven't seen a mammal of this guy's size in such a bad state for years."

Judy allowed herself a brief smile, which quickly faded as she wondered just how badly Higgins was hurt. "Nick happened to him."

"Come on, Carrots, it was a team effort," Nick added.

"Well shit! Maybe I'm protecting him from you two!" Vachir exclaimed before letting out a deep, booming laugh. He then opened the door to the room.

When Judy walked in and finally saw Higgins, she was stunned by what she saw. His left side was practically covered in bandages. His left leg was raised in the air, the bulk of the linen covering the knee. What she could see of it seemed to suggest a good chunk of it was missing. Her gaze travelled upwards. While the hippo was covered by a large gown, she could make out bumps and dips in the fabric that suggested his stomach and chest were also covered in bandages. She could see wounds on his left and right arms where her and Nick's shots had landed. Continuing upwards, she saw a large bandage covering his throat, indicating major damage. Finally, she looked at his face and struggled to hold in a gasp. One of his eyes was completely covered, and most of his left ear was missing.

 _Well, he_ did _get hit with five rounds of buckshot at close range,_ _what did you expect?_ She looked to Nick to see how he was handling it, and saw him with his lazy hustler smile. It was the face he always used when he was trying to hide his emotions from others. She put her paw in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, and saw his smile become genuine for a second.

"Higgins, Hopps and Wilde are here as you requested," Bagheera said, making Judy turn back to the task at hand. "Are you ready to talk?" When the hippo nodded silently, Bagheera placed a recording device on a small desk, then moved two chairs near it for Nick and Judy. "Everything is set up, you just need to hit record," he said and made for the door.

"You're not staying?" Judy asked.

"The agreement was for you and Nick to interview him, with Vachir present. It was a sticking point. Apparently, he wants you two to be the ones to hear what he has to say first. I'll be right outside with Hathi though. Just let me know when you're finished." Without waiting for a response, the lieutenant exited the room. Judy turned to Nick with a questioning look, to which Nick responded with a shrug. They made their way to the table and chairs that Bagheera had set up, while Vachir stationed himself a few feet away from the foot of the bed.

After scrambling into their respective seats, Nick nodded to Judy, who breathed out and pressed record on the device left for them. She turned back to Nick. He looked to be struggling to think of something to say, so she decided to take the lead.

"So, Higgins…" Judy began, but then wasn't sure how to proceed. They'd done dozens of interviews in their careers, but this one was so far from normal she wasn't sure how to approach it. They hadn't had time to discuss how to go about this unlike their previous interview. Even if they had, she wasn't sure they'd have come up with an approach they were comfortable with.

 _Well, he wanted to talk, so maybe just let him?_

"What did you want to say, Higgins?" she finally asked, unsure how else to put it. She saw Nick grin out of the corner of her eye, seemingly agreeing with the approach.

Silence filled the room for some time after Judy asked the question. Higgins staring unblinkingly with his uncovered eye. Finally, a rumble in his throat began and he spoke, his voice sounding very different than usual.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Judy asked.

"What do you think?" Higgins asked, pain filling his voice.

"Well, there's a whole range of answers," Nick said, cutting in and started counting off with his fingers on one paw. "Sorry for betraying the trust of your fellow officers. Sorry for almost killing one of said officers. Sorry for nearly killing us. Oh, and let's not forget, sorry for _killing three innocent mammals_."

"Innocent? Yeah, right. Also, you're seriously trying Good Cop Bad Cop on me? I feel insulted," Higgins groaned in response.

"No, actually," Judy corrected. "Nick's just not your biggest fan right now, to put it lightly. But, at the end of the day, we just want to know why."

"Why what?"

"Well, everything, but for a start…why did you kill those three wolves?"

Higgins took a breath before beginning. "I wanted to talk to you two because you might have the best chance of understanding. Hopps, I'm almost twice your age. You may have thought that the tension between species was bad during the night howlers fiasco, and it was. Now imagine that, but every day for years? That's the world I grew up in. And when I first fell in love…it was with a wolf."

Higgins must have seen some doubt in the eyes of the detectives, as he next said, "You don't believe me."

"It's…surprising. I mean, you're married with a kid."

"Fluff, how many domestics have we had to attend?" Nick pointed out.

"No, wait," Higgins said. "Look, I love Gloria, but…well, I'll admit, I first got with her after breaking things off with Charlie all those years ago."

"And Charlie is?" Judy asked.

"My first wife."

"Oh…well, that's…I know I said it before, but still. Surprising."

"I still remember the day we met, in college. I was in the library struggling through a criminal psychology paper, and then this wolf comes up to me and asks for help getting a book she needed for her physics paper. I tried to get it for her, but was still a bit too short, so she asked me to lift her up. When she grabbed the book, I fell over. She landed on top of me, gave me a quick peck on the cheek as a thank you, and off she went. And well, I saw her around a few times after that, and then we started going out. On the quiet, you understand? Back then, interspecies relationships were even more frowned upon than they are now. However, we were young, and stupid; we thought we could weather that. We got married almost immediately after college, just a few select friends, neither of our families would have understood. But well, after I joined the police...people found out. This was before Bogo was Chief, you understand, and Chief Cunningham was a mean old bear. While officially he couldn't fire me for being interspecies, he could make my life a living hell." Higgins finally took a breath. "I'm sorry to say that I decided my job was worth more to me than Charlie was. I ended it not long after, met Gloria, had James, and began working my way up the ladder. So now you know. I tried to keep in touch, but she moved to Gnu York a few years ago."

"Okay…" Judy said before turning to Nick, who was wearing the same expression she was. "Nope, sorry. Not getting it," she replied.

"What?"

"Okay, so yeah. You're attracted to wolves, we get that. But why the drugs? Why the deaths? Why any of it?"

"I told you…"

"You told us nothing!" Nick shouted, cutting off Higgins. "You say you fell in love with a wolf, but ultimately decided you'd rather progress your career than stay with her. Yes, fine, you're an asshole. We get that. But quite frankly, we could care less about that. We want to know why three mammals had to die!"

"I thought you two would understand."

"We understand that you're not telling us what we need to know," Nick replied, crossing his arms. "We don't care about your past. We want to know why three wolves are dead because of your actions. Not your life story. That's for the shitty TV movie or Petflix documentary that will probably get made about this."

"I'm getting to that. I just wanted you to know this didn't start out as some sort of sick wolf fetish like you probably think."

"So, how did it start?" Judy said before Nick could retort, not wanting to get off track. "We're trying to understand, but that's not answering our questions."

"Yeah Higs," Nick added, his demeanour changing, "you say you want us to understand, but well, I don't see how we can." Judy was starting to see what Nick was doing, doing both good and bad cop. Or rather, angry and understanding cop in one, keeping Higgins off balance. If this was any other cop, that probably wouldn't work, but with Higgins in the physical and mental state he was in, it might work.

Higgins looked away from the pair, and during the brief pause Judy had a thought. She tapped Nick on the wrist and mouthed "Akela" silently. Nick gave a quick nod just before Higgins turned back.

"We talked to Akela. She told us about the flirting and you asking her out. Is that how this all started?" Nick asked.

Higgins froze, fear in his eyes. "No, God no! Look, whatever happens, this isn't Bhrast's fault."

"So, when did it start?" Nick asked again. "Was it with the drug bust?"

"I guess…" Higgins sighed.

"So, tell us from there."

"Well, you know when I said I loved Gloria? That's still true…but well…I missed the feel of fur against my skin that I had with Charlie. So, I started seeking companionship with other mammals. First, I sneaked in dates with other wolves, under a fake name of course. But well…I just couldn't be bothered with the whole dating thing. So, I started using prostitutes…but my wife became suspicious when she saw the dips in our savings and noticed I wasn't home as much. I had to get some cash another way."

"And that's where the drug bust comes in," Judy said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah. I figured that since the guy was dead, and the drugs would be taken off the street for the most part, where was the harm? I sold off small bits at a time, just enough to cover my expenses and replace what was lost from the savings. I did this for months. Then Bhrast came along and started flirting, trying to get back on the streets. Again, where was the harm in asking her out? She turned me down. I stopped for a while after that…but then that's when I heard her arguing with her sister over the phone. She'd been picked up for soliciting over at Precinct 17, and Bhrast just unloaded on me. The drug addiction, prostitution, everything…"

"And you thought you could take advantage of the information you had?" Nick said calmly, though Judy could tell he was struggling to hold back.

"Yeah, there's no way to make that sound good, is there?" Higgins said, smiling. Judy was struggling to not punch him in his good eye, but they still needed more information.

"I started seeing Bighana on the quiet regularly, upped the sale of the pounce I had left to treat her nice. Then one day, I handed over a kilo of pounce because, well, she deserved something nice."

"Some mammals would have taken a bracelet…" Judy found herself saying. She mentally slapped herself, but Nick placed an encouraging paw on her shoulder that calmed her.

"Bighana wasn't really a jewellery mammal, but yeah…when she died, I panicked. I kept abreast of the situation after you told Bhrast about her death and learned about the poisoning."

"Did you do it on purpose?"

"No, you have to believe me! I never wanted that! I was hoping to see her again, and when I heard she died I assumed it would have just been an overdose."

Judy nodded at that, it wasn't widely known at the time that the deaths were due to arsenic poisoning. "But you knew your drugs had arsenic in them for the case, so you knew it was a danger."

"Actually, Andersen kept on top of most of the paperwork in that case, so I only knew after I looked it up in the records later on."

"So…what happened with the other girls?" Nick asked.

"Well, the second girl? I took her in as a way of dealing with the grief of Bighana's loss. I took another kilo of the pounce with me to sell, but the buyer never showed. So, I decided to take it with me to the motel in Sahara Square where I had arranged to meet her. But I got sloppy, left the pounce out in the open in the motel room. When I woke up the next morning almost half a kilo was taken. Then, a few days later, she was found dead."

Judy processed this. Both Bighana Akela and Shelley Lupowitz's deaths were accidental? It seemed too much of a coincidence. But then again, Shelley was found on the streets, near a warehouse in the area that was infamous for being a place where heavy pounce users went when they had nowhere else to go. The city had been trying to get it pulled down for years, but no one seemed to be able to track down the owners. When they investigated inside they found lots of mattresses and drug paraphernalia, but very little in the way of personal belongings. It was a place where people went to waste away, caring more about the next hit than their next meal. So, it might not be too outlandish.

"What about Lorena Vuk?"

Silence filled the room as Higgins sat there, not answering. He stopped looking at the detectives and stared at the wall behind Vachir, who was as still as a statue. The way Higgins was reacting was odd to Judy. She turned to Nick, who had a calculating look on his face. She got his attention and gestured to Higgins. She was sure he was on the same page as her.

"You killed her, didn't you?" Nick asked flatly.

Higgins didn't answer. He just nodded.

"Higgins, we need the answer for the recording."

After what felt like an age, Higgins finally answered. "Yes, I killed her."

Judy knew it was coming, but the admission still hit her like a freight train. More questions came to her mind, but only one was paramount to the rest.

"Why?"

"After that second girl ended up dead, I started to worry. I decided to start selling the pounce off again, but in bigger volumes to get rid of it."

"You could have just destroyed it," Judy pointed out.

"Yeah, but where's the profit in that? I figured I might as well get some cash out of it. I made a deal with some Tundratown street toughs, a gang of smaller arctic mammals. Hares and foxes, mainly."

"Yeah, cos you're not dumb enough to be a dirty cop around a bunch of polar bears. Especially on Mr. Big's home turf," Nick said, emitting a chuckle.

"Pretty much, yeah," Higgins replied, a wan smile appearing. "So, I meet with this group, show them half a kilo of what I have left, and they agree to buy the whole batch! I mean, I was down to about twenty kilos at this point and I'm trying to offload it quick, but it's still a good amount. So, I thought I would celebrate, one last hurrah you know? And then, I see this hot young thing, and well, one thing led to another and we ended up at a motel. After our session, I go to take a leak. Poor girl's really worn out and unconscious at this point. As I walk back I see her handbag and figure, you know? Give her a big tip…and then I saw the camera. The fucking bitch had been filming the entire thing! I root around, find her ID and quickly Zoogle her. Lo and behold, she's a fucking journalism student. You've got to understand, I can't have this stuff get out! I'm drunk and panicking, so I figure, 'hey, what's one more OD'd hooker!' So, I get some pounce and well…forced it upon her."

"So, you're telling me that you force-fed poisoned drugs to an unconscious teenager so she would die, just so you could spare jail time?" Judy questioned.

"Honestly, I...I never intended to do it! But, being drunk and all, it seemed like such a good idea at the time! She woke up and got really sick, as if she was trying to vomit, but I held her down and forced more down her throat and then just…held her as she died. It took hours. Afterwards I just tossed her into the transit rivers they have in Tundratown and hoped she would float away."

After his confession, Judy just sat there, barely able to process what she heard. All of this was because he was unhappy with his sex life?

"That's…horrific," she finally said. "Why the hell did you think we'd understand this?"

"Well, you're in an interspecies relationship. I figured, you know. You like the taboo? Doing something you know you shouldn't?"

Silence filled the room again as Nick and Judy looked at each other. Yes, she admitted that part of Nick's allure was that he wasn't a rabbit, and she knew he liked the fact she was a rabbit. But a taboo? Something to be ashamed of? Something she _shouldn't_ be doing? Ridiculous.

"Nope, don't get it," Nick said, pulling Judy from her thoughts. "I don't love Carrots because of what she is. I love her for who she is. She could have been a giraffe for all I care…though I'm sure our sleeping arrangements would be much more difficult to accommodate if that was the case," he finished, but not before waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Judy, who smiled back.

"Yeah, gotta agree with Slick Nick here," Judy said. "Now that we've got the why, we're gonna need more."

For the next hour, Nick and Judy asked questions. It was sometimes a slog, with Higgins trying to explain his reasoning for his crimes. While they had to listen, Judy found herself becoming less interested as time dragged on. Whatever the reasons he put forward, they didn't excuse his crimes. She started to ponder if she was becoming jaded. Throughout the whole thing, Vachir remained silent, but his balled fists seemed to suggest he was fighting the urge to punch Higgins. She had noticed this first happen during Higgins's description of dumping Lorena Vuk's body so casually.

"Well, I think that covers everything," Judy said as Higgins finished listing the names of the mammals he had sold drugs too. They'd need that info to try and stop more deaths…or link others to this case. "You got anything else to ask, Nick?"

"Nope, I'm good. Let's get this to Bagheera and go home."

Judy nodded. She stopped the recording and pocketed the device. She and Nick stood up from their chairs, ready to leave the room.

"Wait, you can't just leave this like this! I need you to understand!" Higgins said, trying to chase after the retreating mammals, only to be stopped by his restraints. He tried to struggle free, but Vachir moved forward and pushed him back down onto the bed.

"Prisoner! You will simmer down or I will put you down, you get me!?" Vachir shouted, cowing the fragile Higgins into submission. With that, he moved to unlock and open the door. But before he could motion them though, Nick turned back to Higgins.

"Actually, just one second, Vachir. I think I do understand," Nick said as he looked Higgins in his good eye. "I understand that despite what you think, you were never in love with your first wife. You were in _lust_ with her. That's why your marriage broke apart. It's obvious from the way you've acted since then. The way you treated all these mammals, the way you hid this from your wife and son. Hell, I don't think you even love your wife, despite your protestations. You hid your pred-kink from her for God knows what reason. If you really loved her, you would have opened your heart fully to her, not hide this. You're far more concerned with getting what you want from other mammals than thinking about how your actions hurt them. I can read your body language like a really fat book, and despite some of your words, it's obvious you have nothing but disdain for those poor mammals you killed. You're not sorry for what you've done. You're sorry you _got caught._ " He took a deep breath, and started again. "What did you think? If me and Judy understood we'd be on your side? Uphold you as some sort of victim of society's apparent hostility towards interspecies relationships? That may have been the case back when you were a rookie. But now…well, there is still some hostility, but generally, people are either more supportive or simply don't care! It's not a big deal to them! They've got other more important shit to worry about. Just like I do now. I was worried about you hurting Judy. But you know what? Seeing you here, full of holes and going to prison for a very long time? I'm done worrying about that. I've got better things to do with my time than worry that some pathetic shell of a mammal could even consider hurting Judy. Like, I dunno? Trimming my toe claws, or taking an extra-long dump. Goodbye, Higgins. See you in hell." With that, Nick walked out of the room. It took a few seconds for Vachir's and Judy's brains to get into gear to follow him. As she did, Judy looked back to Higgins and felt a sense of satisfaction at the look on his face. She exited into the corridor, surprised and a little relieved to see that Bagheera was not around.

"Bloody hell, Wilde," Vachir muttered as he locked the door. "I might have to arrest you for brutality after that spiel."

"I doubt he's going to take that to heart," Nick replied.

"I dunno Nick, by the look on his face I swear that hurt more than when you filled him full of buckshot," Judy said warmly.

"Ah, Detectives," Bagheera said as he turned a corner. "Sorry about that. Had to make a trip to the little cub's room. Everything go OK?"

"Everything was fine," Vachir said before Nick or Judy could respond. "Two of the most professional detectives I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with," he continued before winking at Nick.

"Glad to hear it," Bagheera said, wondering what the wink was about. He looked into the room, and after noting the look on Higgins's face, decided not to question it. "He seemed like such a normal mammal and an exemplary officer. Nothing in his records gave any clue to this sort of thing."

"No such thing as normal," Nick remarked. "And everyone seems like a decent mammal until they're not."

"Well then, that was either deeply profound or ridiculously cynical," Bagheera replied, allowing a brief laugh.

"Here's the recording, Lieutenant," Judy said as she handed it over.

"Thank you, Detectives. We better get back to Precinct One, Bogo and Vines are waiting for you. Vachir, Hathi," Bagheera said as he waved goodbye to the security mammals. Judy and Nick did the same as they followed, with Judy mouthing a "thank you" to Vachir, who winked back at her. As they walked, Bagheera felt the need to fill the silence. "I'll be honest, I was impressed that you two kept your cool in there. Before I excused myself, I heard he had some weird assumptions about your relationship."

"Honestly Bagheera, if I wasn't in so much pain and Vachir wasn't there, I think I may have gone for his throat," Nick deadpanned.

"I would have lifted his head up for you, Nick," Judy said, completely serious.

"Remind me never to get on your bad sides," Bagheera responded. After a few more minutes they made their way back to the reception area of the prison.

"Finally," Bogo said as he rose from his seat, helped by Vines. "I take it these two acted professionally?" he asked Bagheera.

"Of course, you have two fine detectives here, Bogo," came the response. "I need to get this back to the office as soon as possible. Will you be taking them back in your car?"

"That we are," Vines said, twirling a set of keys. "We still have some work to do ourselves."

"Sir, while we don't mind, I thought you only needed us to interview Higgins. Why are we going back to Precinct One?" Judy asked.

"I might mind a little," Nick said jokingly.

"It would be unfair to tell you before the other Precinct One detectives, Hopps," Bogo answered as they made their way out the doors and to Vines' car. It seemed he was acting as Bogo's driver for the day.

"I take it this is something that will affect the whole department?" Nick asked as everyone buckled up.

"Indeed, Wilde," Bogo said while Vines focused on driving. "And we should really get there soon."

"Why the rush?"

"Well, let's just say it's rude to keep Mayor Lionheart waiting, shall we?"


	22. Major Developments

As the car approached Precinct One, Judy saw a couple of news vans pulling up to the entrance, their occupants emerging and starting to set up. Her gut tightened at the sight; she just knew this had something to do with meeting Mayor Lionheart, and she really hoped whatever it was didn't mean she had to talk to the press.

"Oh great," Nick said as he saw them too. "Please tell me this has nothing to do with Lionheart, sir?" he asked Bogo as they turned the corner and into the Precinct One parking lot.

"Goddammit," Bogo groaned. "I am going to have serious words with Lionheart, he agreed not to arrange a press conference until after we spoke to all the detectives."

"Sir, what's going on?" Judy asked, a tremor of trepidation entering her voice.

"Sorry, Hopps, you'll have to wait until we get the rest of the detectives together," he said and sighed. "As for the press, well, I can tell you that his _honour_ is banking on this helping to bring his approval ratings back up. Arrogant bastard."

While not an answer, it did at least explain the press, Judy mused. Lionheart had officially been pardoned by the interim city council after the night howler investigation, which allowed him to run in the emergency election a few months later. However, he had to do a lot of work to regain the support he had before the incident. Although they understood the reasoning, many mammals didn't fully trust him due to his illegal imprisonment of those suffering from the night howler serum, and he won simply by being slightly more palatable than his main opponent, Adam Hind. Judy remembered the final mayoral debate well. She and Nick had been assigned as part of the security detail, at Lionheart's insistence; it was one of their first assignments as partners. There, the deer candidate had stated there were mistakes made, and good people on both sides of the night howler incident, pred and prey alike, were harmed over the course of the crisis. While Judy could see the twisted logic, he was trying to use to appease all of the voters, the fact that he seemed to at least somewhat support Bellwether's ideology had backfired spectacularly, turning a close race into a comfortable win for the lion. Judy had voted for Lionheart, only because at least with him the mammals of the city were getting a known quantity of a power-hungry politician rather than actually believing in him.

Nick had written in the actor Arnold Schwarzenheffer because _of course he did._

However, the half-answer from Bogo did little to ease Judy's concerns about the presence of the press. Seeing her discomfort, Nick placed his paw on her shoulder. "Fluff, remember what the Chief said. He's not letting you near any members of the press. And if they approach us, I'll do the talking."

"Thanks, Nick…" she said quietly.

"Neither of you will be required to speak to the press," Bogo cut in. "In fact, I will say that what the mayor is going to propose will be entirely voluntary. So just hear him out. I promise, if you don't agree with what we've come up with, it will not affect your careers in the slightest. This will also go for the rest of the Precinct One detectives."

While that assurance did calm her somewhat, it also made Judy more curious. _What the hell is going on?_ she thought.

Turning to Nick, she saw he was just setting his face in a neutral manner, something he did when unsure how a situation was going to play out. She decided to follow his lead.

After they parked and Captain Vines helped Bogo out of the car, the group made their way through the precinct. As per usual, Clawhauser was dealing with bookings but managed a wave as they passed. Deciding to take the elevator to the upper floor due to their collective injuries, they arrived at the detectives' offices to find Mayor Lionheart and his personal assistant, a slightly overweight zebra, discussing some paperwork. The rest of the detectives were sat at their desks, but all eyes were on the mayor, and all of them were suspicious.

"Ah Chief, Captain! Glad you could both make it!" Lionheart said as he rose. "Excuse me, Carol," he said to his assistant, who smiled wanly. That at least made Judy feel a little better; in the few interactions she'd had with the mayor since his re-election, he'd seemed to be less aggressive and demeaning to his subordinates. "And Detectives Hopps and Wilde too. Perfect," he said as he stretched out to Bogo for a handshake.

"What the hell is going on with the press downstairs, Lionheart?" Bogo demanded, ignoring the proffered paw. "You said you would hold off on the announcement until after we had discussed it with the detectives!"

"And I kept my word, the conference is not for another hour. Plenty of time to tell them!"

"Tell us about what?" Angua said from her desk, raising an eyebrow. Her tone suggested that she had little time for politics. The rest of the detectives' expressions matched hers.

"Well, I suppose we should cut the suspense, eh Bogo?" Lionheart said, smiling. Bogo simply huffed and waved a hoof in the direction of Lionheart, signalling him to continue. "Detectives, please take your seats," the mayor said to Judy and Nick. They promptly did so, receiving greetings from the rest of the detectives.

"I'll try and get straight to the point," Lionheart said before clearing his throat. "You are all well aware of the jurisdictional issues that often come up in cases within the ZPD between detectives at the various precincts, including the most recent example with Detectives Hopps and Wilde's case."

"You mean when Hunter and Coulton at Precinct 26 tried to take the case off them? Arseholes," said Dobby from the back of the room. The rest of the detectives turned to him at this. "What? They were!"

"Regardless of your opinions on your fellow officers," Bogo said to try and drag them back to the topic at hand, "yes, it is something every precinct has come across when cases cross jurisdictional borders. We usually sort it out, but it takes time and resources away from other cases, or causes delays that can have repercussions."

"Yeah, like when Angua and I lost that pimp because he moved his 'business' to the Rainforest District and those arseholes at Precinct 16 didn't bother to tell us. Bastard managed to skip town by the time we got the information, and that was only _after_ their captain passed it on to Vines to avoid a bollocking," Sally said, eliciting a groan from her partner.

" _Regardless of your opinions on your fellow officers_ ," Vines repeated Bogo's words while glaring at the bat, "yes, this has come up more than once and in some circumstances has led to delays, or even cases falling apart. It's rare, but it's come up enough. And let's be frank, Precinct One has done the same to other officers, _Fred._ " Judy turned to see Porklon turning bright red. She was about to ask what that meant before Lionheart started speaking again.

"Yes, and the recent tragic case of Lorena Vuk, who…"

"And Bighana Akela and Shelly Lupowitz," Nick said pointedly, his face still neutral. Only the slight rise in his voice betrayed the anger he was feeling at Lionheart for forgetting the other victims of Higgins.

"Yes, of course Detective," Lionheart added, smiling. "Yes, the case of those three girls was tragic, and it was only Chief Bogo's confidence in his mammals that allowed the case to not get bogged down by jurisdictional issues," he finished, gesturing to Bogo. The cape buffalo stepped forward, clearing his throat before speaking.

"With that said, an idea that was formed a few years ago may finally have its time. The DEA, the mayor's office and the ZPD have discussed this and feel it would help with certain cases if jurisdictional authority was, while not ignored, made smoother."

"And that is where you all come in," Vines stepped in. "Within the next few months, the ZPD will set up a new unit. The Major Crimes Unit, staffed by detectives whose jurisdiction will cover the entire city in the cases that require it, as well as taking the more unusual cases that require extra time and resources. This means that those detectives would be able to get help, information, and evidence from any precinct in the city and be able to take over cases that fall within their purview."

"And," Bogo said, "we'd like the detectives of Precinct One to be the first members of this unit."

The assembled detectives looked at one another, a mixture of shock, confusion and some excitement on their faces. Hundreds of questions flooded Judy's mind. How the hell would this work? Who would be in charge? Did this mean they were outside the normal ZPD command structure? What about other detectives who had far more experience in other precincts? Before she could ask any, however, Detective Sergeant Ironpaw's hoof shot up.

"Carrot," Vines said, pointing to the heifer. "By the way, you don't have to raise your paws, hooves or wings to ask questions."

"Sir, this seems like it could cause conflict in the ranks. Why Precinct One? There are several detectives in other precincts who are just as qualified or more so than us."

"I'll answer that," said Lionheart. "The reasoning is twofold. The Major Crimes Unit will be based in Precinct One, so there's simple logistics at play here. Precinct One is at the heart of the city, both literally and figuratively, so it's the best place to set up the unit. Secondly, while yes, many detectives in other precincts have the experience, from a caseload perspective, Precinct One has the most consistently successful convictions. Though not always the highest, it happens enough that it is noticed by those outside the police. Bogo and Vines run a tight ship, and that shows in the reports. It shows that you all do your homework, and with the cases you would work in this unit, we need mammals who don't cut corners, who do their work and get the results."

"So why's Fred being offered a position?" Cheery remarked, eliciting a chuckle from the rest of the room.

"Har har Cheery, at least I didn't eat vital evidence," Porklon countered.

"That was one time, and the tech were still able to get a conviction after the sample had passed through…"

" _However,_ " Bogo shouted, interrupting the goat, "we will not be limiting selection to the MCU to just those at Precinct One. You'll be the first ones in, yes, but we plan to expand the department over the next year, possibly beyond," Bogo said, interrupting the jokes. "After setting up the department and getting everything in place, we will be looking at detectives with good records and who have served as detectives for at least one year. We'll also be moving and hiring more administrative staff to help. In addition, any member of the MCU will have a starting salary of $70,000, with increases in rank as per normal."

Nick perked up at that. Leaning over to Judy, he whispered, _"Maybe we can finally take that vacation to Spain you've always wanted. Maybe for our honeymoon…"_

" _Hush,"_ she whispered back, silencing him, though internally she was already making a note to check the websites for good travel deals.

"Captain Vines will be assigned as head of the MCU, directly under myself. We'll have direct contact with the DEA. From there, we will also be setting up more direct communications with federal agencies. For the first few months, it'll be business as normal as we get everything together. Once things come together, some of the normal detective work for Precinct One's regular jurisdictional area will be shared between Precincts Two and Three temporarily while we look to move other detectives and authorize possible promotions to fill out the normal detective duties. That will be something you will all be involved in. You'll be familiarising the detectives we move here with the area, offering help and advice where needed. Eventually, you'll be working your own cases separately, but in the interim it'll be a bit chaotic, so I hope you're all up for it."

"I still see this upsetting some of the other detectives," Carrot mused.

"That may be the case, but they'll have to deal with it," Vines responded. "This is a new experience for all of us, and hell, it may not even work. So if they're lucky, they might get the last laugh."

"Sir, I have a question?" Judy asked.

"You don't have to ask permission, Hopps," Bogo reminded, rolling his eyes.

"You mentioned that when you start looking at other detectives, you'd be looking at ones with at least a year of service..." she tapered off before swallowing and pushing through her nerves. "Nick and I only have just over a month…"

"Yes, Hopps, I was getting to that," Bogo responded, smiling at her, glad she had brought it up. "Your Honour?" he asked, turning to Lionheart.

"Hopps, Wilde, while it is true you are not fully experienced, it would do the department a world of good in public relations if you two would accept…"

"Accept? You mean they get a choice and we don't?" Angua interrupted.

"Sorry, I should clarify. While we would certainly like you all to be a part of this, you of course have a choice if you'd rather continue in your current roles," Lionheart said. "Anybody leaning that way?" Silence from the detectives seemed to answer that question. "Glad to hear…or not, as the case may be. Anyway, Detectives," he continued, turning back to Nick and Judy, "while I have no doubt you would qualify in normal circumstances, putting you two on the force will make it easier to sell to the public at large."

"And the city council members…" Vines said, not quite under his breath.

"However, as you have pointed out," Bogo said, stepping between Vines and Lionheart, "under the normal requirements you wouldn't qualify. And I'll be honest, although you handled your first official detective case well, not to mention your sterling records, I still say it's too early for you to join your fellow detectives. The mayor and I have come to a compromise, however. During the first couple of months of the transition, you will be working normal cases…and quite frankly, due to your injuries, I'd like you to take another week to recover before returning. When you return, Vines will be assigning you other types of cases, such as breaking and entering's, grand theft autos and so forth, to see how you handle the less…exciting cases since we know you can handle the grisly stuff. We expect the transition to MCU to be completed in three or four months. After that, you will be assisting your fellow detectives with their cases, acting as their seconds. If you can handle that for two months, so six months in total, and your work is satisfactory, you will be made full detectives in the MCU and your pay shall be backdated for the two months…well, not probation. Call it a supervised period if you must. Do you find this acceptable?"

Judy and Nick looked at each other. Nick was quiet, but he turned slightly, hiding a paw behind his desk so only Judy could see it and gave a thumbs up. He seemed fine with the arrangement. Judy still had misgivings, however.

"Sir, I still feel like we'd be getting an unfair advantage over other detectives. I mean, why us?"

"Detectives," Lionheart answered, spreading his arms wide. "You two provide examples of just how much exemplary mammals can help Zootopia. You stopped the greatest criminal and political threat to the city in decades and have impeccable records. And honestly? You show that truly, as you yourself say, Detective Hopps, anyone in Zootopia can achieve anything."

"Whose idea was the MCU?" Nick asked, interrupting the praise, which Judy felt was in bad taste.

"It's an idea that Vines and I have come up with before, but previous administrations had been reluctant to put forward the expenditure," Bogo said carefully.

"Why are you for it then, Your Honour?" Nick asked, turning to Lionheart.

"Well, Chief Bogo and Captain Vines, as well as other precincts, have shown the detrimental effect this can have on cases…"

"Sirs, if I can speak candidly for a moment?" Nick asked the three mammals.

"Of course Wilde, you usually do," Bogo said, allowing a small smile to escape his features.

"How much of this is due to one of your biggest financial backers being involved in our latest case?" Nick asked Lionheart.

"Heh. I like you, Detective Wilde. You can smell bullshit a mile away," the mayor said. He turned to Bogo. "No offence, Chief," he said. Bogo's response was a small one-shouldered shrug. "I'll be honest, yes, perhaps I would have doubted the need for such a department until I personally saw my friend and his family go through hell with even the smallest delay in the case. Time was wasted sorting out the jurisdictional matters, time that could be vital in cases such as missing children, multiple murders and such. But despite my own personal reasons for wanting this, I believe that it will be a benefit to the city. As for why you and Hopps are getting some special treatment? Well, in short, it'll be good PR. Having said that though, I have supreme confidence that both of you will rise to the occasion."

"Seems fair enough. What do you say, Carrots?" Nick asked, turning to Judy. "I'm game for it if you are."

"Nick, it's not just my choice."

"Judy, where you go, I go."

"Yes, but what do you think?"

"For what it's worth, I feel you'd both excel in the MCU," Carrot said.

"Same, plus I need Judy to be there so I'm not the smallest mammal!" Sally added, allowing a giggle.

The rest of the detectives chimed in their support, including Fred Porklon, which Judy was surprised at. He and Nick had gotten off to a very rocky start. When asked his opinion on the matter, the pig simply said, "Never let it be said I mind being proven wrong," and left it at that.

"Perhaps you would like to discuss this in private?" Bogo asked after the supportive comments ended.

The thought crossed Judy's mind, and then she had another idea. "Mr. Mayor, could Nick and I have a moment of your time."

"Of course, Detectives."

"Thank you. Could we borrow your office for a few minutes, Captain?" she asked Vines, who simply waved his arm towards the office in response. "Thank you."

With that, Judy, Nick and Lionheart made their way to the office, where the door was shut. Of course, everyone tried to listen in, but the reinforced door blocked the low sound. It was a short conversation, though the occasional odd hint came through due to Lionheart's low and booming voice.

"Of course you won't get special treatment in the MCU...I suppose I could look into that. It paid off with you two, after all...Can you give me a week? No guarantees though…Great!"

After another few minutes, the three mammals exited and stood at the front. The two partners looked at each other, smiled, and spoke in unison.

"We're in."

* * *

Six days later, Judy walked out of City Hall into the afternoon sun with a sealed envelope held in her paws. It had taken a bit of work to finally get it, but she knew it was going to be worth it. As she skipped down the steps and placed the envelope in her pocket, she spied Nick lounging against the same lamppost she had left him at ten minutes ago, though he was now sipping from a large Catsa coffee mug while he held a slightly smaller one for her.

"Thanks babe," she said as she gratefully accepted and sipped the vanilla latte. It had been just before 9am when she received the call waking her from the slumber. She and Nick had rushed down to the mayor's office to receive the news and obtain the letter without stopping for breakfast.

"Wanna catch a late breakfast somewhere?" he asked.

"Actually, would you mind if we get this delivered first and make it a lunch date? Can you hold out that long?"

"Sure Fluff," Nick said and let out a stifled yawn. "Taxi or Zuber?"

"Could we walk? She only lives a few blocks away and we need to stretch our legs after being cooped up for the last month. If you're okay with that."

"Urgh, physical exertion. Fine," Nick said with a sense of mock annoyance. Smiling at him, Judy held out her paw, which he accepted. Now holding hands, the two of them headed towards their destination. They ended up taking the scenic route, going through the local park. Judy looked around and saw families walking around, enjoying the weekend together. As they continued, they passed by the open-air swimming pool. Judy turned her head and slowed her pace. Looking down at his fiancée, Nick glanced in the direction she was looking and saw a hippo father teaching his daughter how to swim. As they walked on, he kept his eyes on her as he spoke.

"Still got Higgins on the brain, huh?" he asked. Judy nodded in response. "Yeah, can't say I've got him out of my head either. Not looking forward to giving my statement at his trial."

"I feel sorry for his family," Judy said. As the case wasn't theirs anymore, she had no idea what was going on with Higgins's wife and child.

"As long as it's not sympathy for him…"

"This coming from the guy who goes easy on prostitutes…" said Judy without thinking, and regretted it immediately. "Sorry Nick, I know it's not the same. They're victims. Higgins most definitely wasn't."

"You got that right."

"You know what gets me? After the chase, instead of escaping the city he ended up at a strip joint. He really didn't care about anything else, did he?"

"Nah, I think that probably explains why Gloria wasn't that surprised."

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe when we get back to work on Monday we should check with Bogo, see if there's anything we can do." Judy suggested. While the ZPD did their best to care for victims' families, she admitted they were somewhat more lax in their dealings with the families of criminals.

"Never hurts to check up on victims," Nick said, taking his eyes off Judy to check where they were. He stopped dead in his tracks a few seconds later. "Speaking of…" he trailed off, pointing with his free paw. Judy looked and had a similar reaction. Just up ahead, looking in the opposite direction, was Bhrast Akela. She was wearing a tight pair of red gym shorts with a matching spandex shirt that exposed her midriff. She was busy staring at her phone, checking her watch periodically. She seemed to be waiting for someone. Her head snapped around and laid eyes on the couple. After a few seconds, she smiled and waved them over. Judy felt Nick stiffen a little, but he relaxed after looking down at Judy, who shrugged in response.

"Hey there Hopps, Wilde," she said as she stood up to greet them. "Not interrupting a date, am I?"

"What?" Nick asked, confusion getting the better of him.

"You look like you're on your way somewhere," Akela responded.

"Oh, no, just got an errand to run. Maybe have a lunch date afterwards," Judy answered.

"Okay, I'll try not to keep you long," she said as she started wringing her paws. "Uhm, Wilde? I just wanted to say...I'm sorry."

"Come again?"

"I said I'm sorry for…well, everything. The treatment I gave you when I was with IA, the shit I gave you afterwards. All of it."

"Uh…thanks?" Nick said, still confused. "I appreciate it, but where's this coming from?" he asked, cynicism edging into his voice.

"Well, let's just say after everything that's happened, I've needed to re-evaluate things. Especially about not judging books by their covers."

"That a lesson Kelsey has been teaching you?" Judy asked, excitement building in her, hoping that a relationship had calmed the wolf somewhat.

"You could say that," Bhrast chuckled. "She's straight."

"Oh…" Nick and Judy said together. "I guess you found that out after you told her your feelings…" Judy continued.

"Yeah, made a complete ass of myself in front of her when she woke up from surgery. That was awkward to say the least…"

"That's gonna make being partners even more awkward," Nick said, unsure of what else to say.

"Heh, maybe a little, but it was for the best. I was going crazy keeping my feelings bottled up. But well, we talked and we're still good friends. Been helping her out with getting around the city, picking up her meds and so on. She's still my partner after all."

"She recovering well then?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, she's back on her feet now. Using a cane, but with the physical therapy she's been doing she should make a full recovery.

"That's good to hear," Judy said. "Is she here with you? We'd love to talk to her."

"What? Oh, no, she's at home. Told me to have the day to myself. Wouldn't have my help at all if she could get away with it."

"So, who are you waiting for?" Nick asked, causing Akela to raise an eyebrow. "Hey, I've seen enough mammals constantly looking at their watches while waiting for dates in my time, especially with this one here," he said, giving Judy a gentle shove with his shoulder, which she responded with a playful jab to his left arm. "Plus, we're both detectives."

"Well, you know her physical therapy I mentioned? After the first session, Kelsey asked me to come with her to meet the therapist. The cute _single_ therapist."

"Oh really?" Judy said, smiling. "Meeting her for a jog?"

"A jog and our third date…" Akela responded, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Heh, glad to hear it, Akela," Nick said, also smiling.

"Please, call me Bhrast."

"Only if you call us Judy and Nick," Judy said.

"Will do," Bhrast said and huffed. Judy noticed her eyes were starting to water. "And…and thank you both...for bringing Higgins in. Can't believe I was working with the asshole who killed my sister."

"Yeah, sorry we didn't figure it out sooner."

"Wilde…I mean, Nick. Even when I hated your guts, I don't think I would've believed you'd drag your feet on a murder case." Raised eyebrows caused her to rethink her statement. "Okay yeah, maybe I would have," she said, looking down at the ground in shame.

"It's fine," Nick said, holding out a paw. "No hard feelings?"

"Thanks Wi…Nick," Bhrast said, taking it gratefully. "I just wish he was going down for three murders instead of two mammal-slaughters and one murder…"

"How'd you know about that?" Judy asked. While it wasn't out of the ordinary for family members of victims to be told about the charges being brought to trial, it seemed way too early for her to find out. She and Nick knew because Bagheera had kept them in the loop, unofficially.

"Yeah, Bagheera kinda hinted at it. Sentimental fool. Still looking out for his ex-partner after getting kicked out of IA. I mean, I understand why he's being charged that, but regardless, it's murder in my eyes."

"Ours too, if it means anything," Nick said, and Judy nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I kinda wish I put more buckshot in him…" he continued before slapping his paw over his mouth. He had definitely revealed more than he'd meant to there.

"Wait, what? You shot him with a shotgun?" Akela asked, sounding impressed.

Deciding that revealing a little more information might be worth it to Akela and Nick, Judy added, "Five times."

"What the hell?" Akela asked, stunned.

"He tried to kill Judy," Nick answered unashamedly.

Bhrast just stood there gobsmacked…and then burst out laughing. "OH GOD!" she exclaimed after she calmed down. "I needed that!" She tried to laugh again, but her quickening breaths and the way her shoulders started to move told Judy that she had stopped laughing and started crying instead. She moved to the wolf and hugged her midsection, followed soon by Nick.

"Thank you…thank you both…" Bhrast breathed after the flow of tears had stopped. "Thank you for catching Bighana's killer. And filling him full of holes," she said, laughing a little more. Judy giggled too as she and Nick released Bhrast from the hug, allowing the wolf to dry her eyes.

"Hey, if he needs more just let me know," Nick joked.

"Heh, you've got a vindictive streak, Nick. I like that." She looked set to continue, but suddenly her nose started twitching and her head snapped around. Looking past her, Judy saw a small wolf jogging over to them in a similar outfit to Bhrast, but in blue. She was about two-thirds of Bhrast's height, and Judy tried to pick out her genus.

"Hey Bhrast," the newcomer said, stopping and puffing a little with exertion. "Sorry I'm late, my last therapy session went over." Her accent was South African, which led Judy to the assumption that she was an African wolf. That explained the height difference between her and Bhrast.

"It's okay, Min," Bhrast said, returning a genuine smile. "Oh, sorry. Min, this is Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, they're detectives at the ZPD. Guys, this is Minhele Sulowo, Kelsey's physical therapist."

"Oh wow! You told me you worked with them. Nice to meet you both!" the excitable wolf replied. She reached out a paw to them, squatting slightly for Judy. Being an African wolf, she was about the same height as Nick, which still meant she had a good head over the bunny.

"Nice to meet you, Minhele," Judy said, shaking her paw. "Well, we don't work with Bhrast, she's assigned at another precinct. But we have worked with her in the past."

"Huh, I thought you said you worked at Precinct One, Bhrast?" Minhele said, turning to her date. Judy and Nick looked to her as well.

"Oh, that's right!" Bhrast responded, snapping her fingers. "You wouldn't know yet. I got a call from Bogo last week, he said he was promoting someone to Sergeant. Andersen, I think. Anyway, he needed some new officers to bulk up his numbers. I start there in two weeks and Kelsey will join me when she fully recovers."

"That's great!" Nick praised, and Judy was so happy to see that he said it genuinely. "Guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on then."

"Hopefully not as much as I will later…" Minhele said, and then covered her muzzle. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" the smaller wolf said, ears going red from embarrassment.

"And with that, I think we should leave you two to your date," Nick said. He looked Bhrast in the eyes and half closed them. "Sounds like at least one of you hopes it will go well."

"For God's sake, Wilde!" Bhrast yelled, hate filling her eyes.

"Hey, it's Nick now, remember? And we're colleagues, so that means I get to tease you mercilessly," Nick responded, a self-satisfied smirk affixed to his muzzle.

"It's true, there's no way to escape it," Judy said, enjoying the look of embarrassment on both wolves. "We'll catch you later Bhrast, Minhele. Have a good time," she finished, pulling her smug, grinning fox past the couple, Bhrast glaring at Nick all the while. Eventually, she heard the two wolves laugh as they started their jog. "Jesus, it's two steps forward, one step back with you, isn't it?" she asked to her mate.

"Would you have me any other way?" he asked smugly.

"Definitely not," she said, cuddling up to his side. They continued in silence for another block, simply enjoying each other's company, until arriving at the Golden Burrows apartment complex.

"What apartment was it?" Nick asked as he opened the door.

"Second floor, apartment 12," Judy answered as she moved to the stairs.

"Will she be home?"

"Should be, it's her day off today and she always works the Saturday shift. I just hope we're not imposing on her family, I didn't want to call her as I want this to be a surprise."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be." After a few seconds the pair found themselves outside their destination. Judy made sure she still had the envelope in her pocket. She turned to Nick and nodded. He obligingly knocked on the door and stood there.

"Coming!" a deep yet friendly voice called out from inside, followed by, "Hey kids, turn that game down for a second, okay?" The sliding of a bolt was soon followed by the door opening. A white, middle-aged but trim male rabbit opened the door. He adjusted his glasses as he looked at the two mammals. His eyes lingered on Nick for a second longer than Judy liked, but she softened as he smiled at the fox and then to her. "Hello?"

"Mr. Hase?" Judy asked.

"That's me. And may I ask who you two are?"

"Of course. I'm Judy Hopps, and this is my fiancé, Nick Wilde. We're just…"

"Wait… _the_ Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde!? The detectives?" Mr. Hase gasped, clearly shocked.

"Yes, I…"

"Can I see your badges?" he asked. The question took Judy aback a little, but she and Nick handed their badges over. They'd taken to have them on hand at all times since…well, forever.

"Oh my!" Mr. Hase said before handing them back. "I'm sorry Detectives, but well, we've just been worried about Kate ever since the incident at her workplace. I assume it's about that? I thought she answered all the questions…"

"No no no, Mr. Hase," Judy interrupted, not wanting to worry the old buck. "This is actually a personal call. I don't know if you knew, but I'm friends with your daughter and she's…"

"Wait, you've been the one Kate's been seeing on the weekends? I mean, we thought she was dating someone. I mean, she's not dating you, is she? I mean, you said this is your fiancé…wait, this isn't one of those polygamous open marriages like I read on the internet, is it? I mean, I don't mean to judge…"

"Mr. Hase. I can assure you that my fiancée is only interested in males of the fox persuasion," Nick said. His voice was serious, but his face was one of amazed amusement. "But, well, we have something we'd like to discuss with Kate and you all. I think it would be best if we came inside and explain to everyone. If you're okay with that, of course?"

"Well...okay then," Mr. Hase said, his rambling forgotten. He opened the door and allowed them in. As they entered, Judy saw three male kits playing a 4-way split-screen racer on the large television, with the fourth screen showing a car not moving. Meanwhile, an older grey doe sitting close by was looking at a tablet with headphones in her ears.

"We weren't expecting company," Mr. Hase said as he shut the door. A fourth controller on the floor indicated he'd been playing the game with his kits, which Judy liked for some reason. The way Kate had turned out spoke volumes about how her parents had raised her.

"Kim," Mr. Hase said as he tapped the doe on her shoulder. She turned and saw the two mammals with her husband. As she took out her headphones, she asked, "What's going on, Markus?"

"Honey, could you go and wake Kate? Tell her Detectives Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps are here to see her," Mr Hase explained. The shock that went through his wife was immediate, though she acquiesced to her husband's request. Meanwhile, the three kits had stopped playing and were staring at the police mammals in silence, wondering what was going on.

"Please, take a seat," Mr. Hase said, indicating a sofa on one side of the coffee table. Judy and Nick did so, while he stood near one of the two armchairs in the room. "Can I get you two anything?"

"No thanks, we're going to get lunch after this and we won't be long," Judy explained.

A few seconds later, Mrs. Hase returned. "Kate will be along in just a moment, she's getting dressed. Can we know what this is all about, Detectives?" Mrs. Hase asked, concern in her voice.

"I'd rather tell Kate first, but trust me, it's good news," Judy replied, smiling.

"Oh…can I ask you something else then?"

"Of course."

"Now, we know Kate gave you some help in a case and she was involved in a horrible incident at her work…but what exactly did she do to help?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"So…she didn't tell you?" Nick asked.

"No, she did not, Detective Wilde," Mr. Hase huffed. "Look, we're not stupid, we know where she works and we're fine with it! But we get worried about her at times, being in that place. Her boss has assured us she's well protected and I believe him, but after all, a hippo with a gun was arrested there! And doing…what she does..." he said, turning to his young boys who looked a little confused. It was obvious they didn't know the exact nature of their sister's job and their father was reluctant to spell it out in front of them. "You can see why we might be worried."

Judy wasn't sure how to answer that question. She felt they should know the truth of what happened, that Kate had put herself in immense danger. But at the same time, she was reminded of her own parents, and was pretty sure if they knew half the stuff she had encountered during her time with the police, one of them would have had a heart attack by now.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hase, all I can tell you without betraying a friend's trust is that she helped us immensely with a case, and quite frankly, probably saved a lot of lives in the process. The rest…well, I'll talk to Kate about it. She should be the one to tell you."

"I believe as her parents we have the right to know what happened!" Mr. Hase argued, his voice becoming louder.

"If she was a minor, you would be absolutely right, sir," Judy responded. "However, she is eighteen, so she would be treated like an adult. If she was twenty-five, we would tell you the same."

"I see…" Mrs. Hase said. "Would Chief Bogo back you up on this?"

"Yes," Nick said, "though you are of course able to request information about the case from the Zootopian Prosecution Service. That's the proper channel, and revealing information about a case before trial could land us in hot water." Judy winced at the hypocrisy of this, considering they'd given Bhrast more information than they should have. They needed to get better at that, as saying the wrong thing to the wrong mammal could cost them their jobs. "I can't guarantee they would follow through with your request though, as they usually only do so with parties involved in a prosecution," Nick finished.

"Is it only this bureaucratic hurdle that prevents you from telling us?"

"Honestly, Mrs Hase? No. It's my loyalty as a friend," Judy answered.

"Heh. Least you're honest," Mr. Hase said. Though the answer was not totally satisfactory, he could see the struggle Judy was having with the questions. "I would appreciate it if you could tell her she can discuss whatever she needs to with us. She's been sleeping a lot more lately and we're worried the incident has affected her."

"Of course. Just so you know, the ZPD can provide counselling to witnesses as well as victims if it's required," Judy advised…and regretted it immediately as Kate's parents began to question why she needed counselling. Luckily, Judy was spared having to answer them when Kate appeared, dressed in a hastily thrown on shirt and leggings.

"Judy, what are you doing here? How did you find out where I live?"

"You had to give your address for your witness statement, remember?" Judy reminded.

"Oh, right, yeah. But why are you here? I thought you'd be getting ready to go back to work."

"Yeah, but I had something important to do first," Judy replied, handing over the envelope. Kate took it but looked at it quizzically. She turned it over, not seeing anything identifiable on it. "You should open it," Judy advised her, and Kate did so. She took out the single sheet of paper and started to read. Within a few seconds, her eyes went wide. She looked up to Judy, who motioned for her to keep reading.

"What is it, honey? What's wrong?" her father asked, stepping over to her.

"I...got in…"

"What?"

"I…I got into Zootopia University's Criminology programme…on a full scholarship…"

"WHAT!?" her parents shouted as they both tried to grab the letter at the same time. "But, I didn't know you had applied?" her father asked.

"I didn't. I was going to apply in another year or two when I saved up…"

"Yeah," Judy spoke up, "I mentioned to Lionheart how helpful you were on our case and how the Mammal Inclusion Initiative scholarship scheme had stopped accepting applicants. After his re-election, he was so busy that he completely forgot to look into it. He was so grateful for me reminding him that he asked if there was anyone deserving of it, so…"

"You did what!?" Kate asked, completely flabbergasted. "That seems rather unfair to others."

"They're going to announce next week that they're accepting applicants again. He got his staff to look into your test scores at high school, and they said if you applied you'd be one of the most likely candidates to receive it. Plus, I wrote a letter of recommendation and…HUFF!" Judy had the air knocked out of her as Kate, tears streaming down her face, hugged her tight.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" the young rabbit bawled.

"There's one condition however…" Judy said as she pried the crying doe off of her. "Since I stuck my neck out for you, I'm going to keeping an eye on your studies when I can. Wouldn't do for the next rabbit in the ZPD to not be in the top ten percent. You understand?"

"Of course, thank you so much! I'm going to college! WOOHOO!" Kate danced and spun in the air, grabbing Nick in a hug as well. "Your fiancée is amazing!" she squealed.

"Don't I know it," Nick answered as he let the younger rabbit hug him, who then went to celebrate with her younger siblings. Judy turned to Kate's parents, who were still staring at the letter in disbelief. She got a small knot in her stomach as she remembered her parents' own reaction to her acceptance letter.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hase, are you…" she tried to ask, but was suddenly grabbed by them both and hugged hard.

"Thank you so much, Detective Hopps! You have no idea what this means to us! Our little girl will be the first Hase in three generations to go to college," Mr. Hase bawled.

" _No trouble at all, sir…can I please breathe now?_ Thank you," Judy said as they released her. "You'll have to start getting ready," she said to Kate. "Your course starts in three months."

"Of course, and now that I don't have to save up, I can use my money from Inferno to get a car!"

"Honey, you don't even have a driver's license," her mother said.

"I'll get one! Oh…but I'm gonna have to tell Harry I'm leaving…" she said somewhat sadly.

"It's not a place for a young girl with a future," her father said, but received a slap on the paw from his wife.

"What your father means is I'm sure Harry will understand. You made it no secret why you were there, after all. I'm sure he'll be happy for you."

"If I know Harry, definitely," Nick said. "He's an old friend of mine."

"Well then, he must be a good mammal," Mrs. Hase commented, smiling as she did so.

"He sure is, Mrs. Hase," Judy added. "Look, we should leave you to celebrate…"

"Aww can't you stay? You're the reason I'm going, after all," Kate said sadly.

"Sorry, we've got a date," said Judy as she took Nick's paw in hers, getting ready to leave. "Oh, and Kate…I think it would be best if you talked to your parents about what happened. And if you need someone to talk to after that, give me a call, okay?"

"Well...can we invite you two to dinner? It'd be lovely to have you," Mrs. Hase said, grateful that Judy had advised Kate to talk to her and her husband. "I can even get a salmon for your fiancé. I have a couple of predator friends myself," she explained. "Say...next Saturday?"

"What do you think, Nick?" Judy asked, not wanting to decline and be rude.

"Hey, if they're offerin', I'm eatin'," Nick replied, eliciting a laugh from Mrs. Hase.

"Alright then, it's a date! Thank you both! I mean, not _that_ kind of date, but the normal kind, without any sexual obligations attached. WHAT I MEANT WAS-" Mr. Hase said before his daughter covered his mouth.

"And this guy is why I didn't tell you where I lived before. So embarrassing…" Kate said, her eyes rolling.

"It's fine, I'm used to embarrassing parents. Remind me to tell you sometime about when my mom asked how Nick and I 'fit' together."

"And with that, we're leaving!" said Nick as he and Judy made for the door. "Nice to meet you folks, and Kate, give Judy a call for the dinner, okay? Have fun!" he finished as he closed the door behind them.

"I love it that you embarrassed Bhrast like that and yet you can't take it yourself," Judy said after they had left the apartment building.

"What can I say, I am male and as such have a fragile ego," Nick said unashamedly. "So, now that that's done, where do you want to eat?"

"I dunno, I'm getting hungry and don't fancy walking too far. Shall we see if there's anything on the next block?"

"Sure," Nick responded, and the partners started walking. Judy remained silent for a few minutes, a concerned look on her face. "Penny for your thoughts?" Nick asked.

"You think Kate will do okay at university and the ZPD?" Judy asked. She was sure that Kate would do fine on the academic side, but she had seen Kate's recklessness first hand. "She does seem to act without thinking. Will you stop laughing?!" she shouted as Nick doubled over in hysterics.

"I'm sorry, _Judy Frickin' Hopps_ is criticising another mammal for leaping headfirst into danger without a second thought? What's next, Bogo saying someone else should smile more?" he gasped out between laughs before starting again.

"You implying I'm being hypocritical?" Judy asked, crossing her arms while her right foot started thumping the ground.

"I'm not implying anything. I'm outright saying it!" Nick said as he finally started to calm down.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Judy huffed, reluctantly admitting Nick had a point.

"I'm sure you'll pass on any advice you can give, Carrots. With you as a mentor, she'll be running Precinct Two before she's thirty."

"What about Precinct One? Don't think she'll make it there?"

"No, I assume you'll be running the place by then," Nick answered wryly.

"Flattery will get you into my bed every time, Mr. Wilde," Judy teased.

"Good, cos the couch is _not_ comfortable," Nick replied. A sudden growl from his stomach caught the two off guard. "Okay, time to find food. How about that place?" he suggested, pointing to a Chinese restaurant across the street, its sign featuring a smiling tiger.

"Is it open? Looks quiet," Judy noticed as they crossed the street and approached. She was about to point out that the sign said closed, but a tiny paw flipped the sign just before she could say anything. "Huh, looks like it just did," she said, noting the hours printed on the door. "Good timing, Slick."

"Don't thank me, thank my stomach," Nick replied as he pushed the door open. A bell above the door jingled as they entered and they smelled a mixture of spices, rice and noodles that made their mouths water. "Oooh, I smell duck! Haven't had that for a while."

"Hope they cater to prey too," Judy said. While most restaurants catered to both diets, there was the odd few in the city that catered specifically to pred or prey. "Wonder if it's self-seat…"

"NICK! JUDY!" a familiar voice screamed and the mammals found themselves set upon by a small striped figure who leapt up at them. Nick barely had time to stick his arms out to grab them when the weight of the figure brought him and his partner to the ground.

"Tyler?" Judy asked as the weight fell upon her, recognising the young cub they had rescued from the sewer just before they became detectives.

"Tyler, my boy, what's going on?" a much larger tiger asked as he exited the kitchen. "Oh my God, Detectives Wilde and Hopps!" the boy's father exclaimed. He ran over and picked up all three mammals with barely a pause. "It is so good to see you again!"

 _Thank God my ribs have healed,_ Judy thought, as saying so would have used up precious oxygen she needed at that moment. A moment later, Tyler's father released them and set them on the ground.

"I don't think I properly introduced myself last time. Name's Xiong Macan. Thank you for choosing to dine with us today."

"No…worries…" Nick wheezed between breaths as his lungs re-inflated. "Had no idea this was your place, just decided to pop in. We're famished."

"Well, good to hear that, Detective Wilde," Xiong said as he led them through the restaurant while Tyler followed behind. "You get the best table and anything you would like free of charge!"

"No, sir, we couldn't possibly…" Judy began, but was stopped by the tiger placing them in a booth suitable for their small stature.

"I insist! You saved my child's life, what is a few meals compared to that!"

"Honestly, it's not needed..." Judy tried to decline again, but a prod from Nick's foot under the table stopped her.

"Carrots, you're being rude," he said sincerely. "Thank you Xiong, of course we'll accept."

"Can I sit with them, Dad? Please?" Tyler asked excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Now now, Tyler, I'm sure they'd like to enjoy their meal in peace. But if you want, you can help me make their meal." Xiong turned to the police. "No child labour here, but my kitchen staff is picking up some more groceries and got stuck in traffic. I only opened as we're usually quiet this early," he explained. "Although, once you've eaten and if we're not too busy, I'd sure love to sit down and chat with you two. If that's not too much to ask."

A look between the two and a shared smile allowed Judy to answer that it would be fine. A few minutes later, they had ordered their food and drinks, and after a quick hug from Tyler, the couple was left to talk as their hosts ran to the kitchen to prepare their meal.

"Cute kid," Judy said as Tyler bustled through the kitchen door.

"Definitely. Excitable though," Nick responded.

"Pfft, that's nothing compared to some of my younger brothers and sisters," Judy said. She remembered the memories of dozens of young kits practically assaulting Nick the first time she had brought him to visit her parents. Her eyes lingered a little longer, which prompted Nick to speak.

"You ever think about them?" he asked. Judy turned, unsure what he was asking. "Kids, I mean. Having them."

"Wow…loaded conversation for a lunch date, Nick."

"Well, I think it's an appropriate question for someone to ask their fiancée," he pointed out not unreasonably.

"Fair point, but I'm pretty sure we talked about this before."

"Well, yeah, but minds change."

"Another good point," Judy said before going quiet. "Honestly? I still feel the same way. While I'm not opposed to us having kids – well, we wouldn't have natural ones anyway – so if we did, we'd have to adopt."

"Which I don't mind. Good way to make the world a better place by giving someone parents who doesn't have them."

"Yeah, but…I just don't see it right now. Maybe in the future, but nah, not really interested. I like other people's kids because you can give them back once they've stopped being cute," she finished before going silent again. "Why do you ask…Have you changed your mind?"

"Nope, still on the same page, Judy. Although, I'm pretty sure you'd make a fantastic mother. I'm also sure I'd make a lousy father, but I'd try if you wanted me to."

"Nick, if we're going to be parents it has to be something we both want. Look, I know big families are a big thing for bunnies, but honestly," she said, pushing her paw across the table and motioning for his, which he gave, "I've got all the family I'll ever need right here."

"You sure? I'm not much…" Nick replied, his face becoming melancholic. Despite everything, he still had self-esteem issues he was working through.

"I'm marrying you, idiot," Judy said, smiling. "What other proof do you need?"

"Well, letting me bend you over this table and…"

Before Nick could say anything else, Tyler bustled up to their table, carrying their drinks. His sudden appearance caused Nick to almost bite his tongue and he tried to stop the words coming out, causing him to cough.

"Here you go, guys!" the cub said, handing them their soda. "Need anything else…Is everything OK?" Tyler asked as Nick coughed for a good few seconds.

"Nick's fine, Tyler, just got a piece of food stuck in his throat!" Judy said quickly.

"But you haven't had your food yet…" the observant cub said. However, before he could question them further, his father came out and motioned Tyler back to the kitchen.

"Smooth, Slick," Judy teased, pushing his glass to him. "With a silver tongue like that, I sometimes wonder why I fell for you."

"Well, I use it for other things too," Nick said, licking his lips. The long tongue made Judy shiver slightly. "Better enjoy this while we can, Fluff. Back to work in less than 48 hours."

"Yeah, but at least it'll be good to be back," she said sincerely.

"True, true," Nick said, raising his glass and holding it out towards her. "To making the world a better place?"

"I assume we'll be doing that regardless," Judy said, picking up her own glass and touching it to Nick's. "But I'll drink to it."

* * *

Notes:

Well, there's something I'd never thought I'd be able to do. Start and finish a novel-length story.

I'm fairly happy with how this has turned out. Would I do things differently if I could write this again? Definitely. I've had to do some sneaky edits here and there were continuity got screwed up, or I put the wrong names in places. Would definitely plan it better. All lessons that I'll take to my sequel. I have a rough idea but gotta plan out a few more things before starting.

In all honesty, there were times I didn't think I would finish it due to stuff in my life. I previously mentioned (then subsequently deleted) a personal situation. For those of you who missed it, my wife attempted suicide about 2 months ago. To say it was rough was an understatement, but she has the medical and mental health support she needed. We've had a very relaxing holiday period and it was just what we needed.

I would like to give my eternal thanks to DrummerMax64 who helped me a lot in this story, providing great feedback, then providing his proofing and edit services and getting this chapter done before the new year. I'd also like to thank everyone who left feedback, especially the ones pointing out errors in continuity, spelling, and police procedure. You know who you are, and I may ask for the services of one or two people in my future story.

If you're reading this on FF a lot of my notes have gone as I was uploading every single chapter due to spelling and continuity fixes and I couldn't be bothered putting them all in the uploaded documents again.


	23. Major Crimes: Triad has begun

The sequel to Zootopian Vice has begun. Check my profile for Major Crimes: Triad.


End file.
